These last three months have given me many opportunities to meaningfully interact with and support children and families. Just last month, we had a child who was having a very difficult time at his placement and ended up coming to the office after an incident with his foster parents. He spent the day with me at the office as we attempted to find a new placement – and when he heard that the family friend he had wanted to live with was not able to serve as a foster home, he walked out the front door and began screaming and cursing. I followed him up and down the street, walking with him to ensure he stayed safe all while he yelled. At one point, he said that he was going to kill himself if he entered another non-relative foster home. That night, I ended up taking him to the hospital, and two of our case aides where two of our case aides stayed with him overnight.
The next morning, he came back to the office, and with the help of my coworkers, we found a foster home for him to stay with over the weekend. At first, he was hesitant and refused to go to the placement, but we had a good feeling about this home for him. Eventually, I was able to convince him to go with me to the new home. He was immediately oppositional, but the foster parent was willing to work with him and understood his needs well. That weekend, I got a text from the child, telling me, “I think I really like it here. I like all these kids and the foster dad, they’re so nice.”
The moment I saw this message, I was so happy that we had finally found a placement where he seemed to be doing well, but at the same time, I had a sinking feeling in my chest because the foster parent had only agreed to keep him for the weekend. I knew that his liking this home would only make moving him after the weekend that much more painful for him.
The next day, I got a text from the foster dad, that said, “If he needs a place, he can stay here. He loves it here. I like him. He fits in well. I know he is getting bullied in his school. That won’t happen in the school out here.”
Immediately, I felt a weight come off my shoulders as I realized he would be able to stay, and we wouldn’t have to move this kid to yet another foster home and worsen the trauma and instability that he has in his life. Now this kid is still doing well in his placement, and while issues still come up and there are still challenges to navigate, he has a safe and stable home with a foster parent he trusts, and he has proven himself willing to stay with him through the hard times.
