Together, parents and foster/kinship parents can make sure that the child they both care about is best supported while in out-of-home care. Amara’s Family Connections Program helps parents, caregivers and others involved in a child’s life collaborate and build relationships centered on what’s best for the child.
Learn how building child-focused connections between parents and foster/kinship caregivers helps children involved in the child welfare system. This animated short video will walk you through the main elements of a Connections Conversation. Click the yellow start button on the right to watch this video.
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Step one: Parents and caregivers each work with a peer mentor through the process. Parents are matched with a Parent Mentor. Caregivers are matched with a Caregiver Mentor.
Step two: Parents and caregivers talk with their mentors in preparation for the first Connections Meeting.
Step three: The Parent Ally and Caregiver Mentor work together to lead a Connections Meeting where the parent and caregiver will meet for the first time. This discussion will include:
Step four: Parents and caregivers talk with their mentors after the initial meeting to receive additional support.
Katie and Jonathan Biron became foster parents knowing the importance of maintaining relationships between kids and their parents. While fostering Grayson, they formed a close relationship with his biological family who became one large extended family through adoption.
Katie and Caitlin, their daughters and their extended family, have created a constellation of people to share their lives with. “Our family has grown…I feel like our lives have been really enriched, but it was always in the purpose of keeping the girls connected to their people. That has felt like we’ve forged really amazing relationships with their birth families and it’s been incredible.”
