Foster Care & Adoption Services respond to child victims’ needs providing play therapy, counseling, supervised visitation, pre-placement assessment, post-placement supervision for direct consent infant adoptions, adoption and post-adoption support for children with specialized needs, pregnancy counseling and most importantly, well-trained foster and adoptive families who help children feel safe and learn to trust, so they can be children.
When a child is unable to return home due to termination of parental rights, a permanent family home is sought through Adoption. Private Placement Adoption typically involves birth parents and adoptive parents planning a voluntary relinquishment involving infants. A child’s foster family may be a good match for the child’s individual needs and may be approached to consider adoption of a child in their home. Foster Care to Adoption transitions children from foster care into families as part of a permanency plan when it is in the best interest of the child. Through Adoption Information Services, Family & Children Services supports adoptive families by providing information and referrals to community services. For those facing an unplanned pregnancy, Pregnancy Options Counseling offers information and support for your decision-making, without pressure.
Childhood is brief. There are countless opportunities for you to change a lifetime for a child in foster care by sharing your heart, opening your home and giving hope to children and teens. Do Something That Matters. Consider Become a Foster Parent.
The Parent to Parent forum is a place to find and discuss community resources, advocacy support, Parent to Parent programs, Parent Mentors, and more. It is a place where you can connect and share experiences with others who have children with disabilities and special needs. You can provide advice to those who are seeking it, and ask questions when you may have them.
The Parent to Parent forum is free, and is open to anyone who would like to utilize it. We encourage you to take just a minute of your time and register now, following the step-by-step instructions below. We're sure the forum will be a great additional resource for everyone!
April 23, 2010
Kalamazoo for Kids
Parent to Parent would like to pass on a website that you may find helpful as you look for activities for your children, especially as we move into the summer months. On this website you will find a list of summer activities in the Kalamazoo area and links to events and calendars of local organizations.
Who they are: Kalamazoo for Kids exists mainly because a couple of local Kalamazoo moms got together and decided we wanted someplace online to go where we could find anything and everything kid-related in the Kalamazoo area. We found a few sites that offered information about various events or organizations, but we wanted to see everything in one place.
Please look for information regarding our annual Foster Parent Appreciation Event!
Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families.
Meet and Greet: Effective Strategies for Youth with ADHD/ODD
Presenter: Marcy L. Peake, MA, LPC, NCC
When: Monday, June 21, 2010
5:30-6:00 pm - Registration, talk with other foster parents,
and workers
6:00-8:00 pm - The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the behaviors of youth diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and to educate foster families/service providers about effective strategies for home and school life.
Where: Family & Children Services (Board Room)
1608 Lake Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001
Family Driven Practices That Work: Webinar (FREE training that would count towards contact hours for foster parents)
Family-driven means families have a primary decision making role in the care of their own children as well as the policies and procedures governing care for all children. This webinar will deliver information on how systems and programs can infuse the family-driven philosophy and principles into practice. In addition, the presentation will include specific techniques to achieve successful collaborations, family engagement, and family involvement.
On June 15th from 2:00-3:30 PM we invite you to join in on this webinar with Brooke Schewe of Families Together in NYS. It is important to reinforce the philosophy of family-driven principles. Come join us to put these principles into practice!
June 10-11: Celebrating Fathers: Their Impact on Our Community
This conference will assist community members, fathers and professionals in understanding and overcoming challenges that have impacted the relationships between men and their children. The planning committee is anticipating a minimum of 400 participants at this conference.
This 1-1/2 day event will include a panel of personal stories given by local fathers and professionals followed by the Keynote Presentation with Pulitzer Prize winning author Leonard Pitts, Jr. Conference workshop topics include: Working with Dads who are Incarcerated Fathers; Challenges of Being a Young Father; Legal Advocacy for Fathers and The Psychological Importance of Fathers. A variety of vendor tables will be available with resources for participants.
Details about the conference and sponsor opportunities and online registration links can be found at www.michfed.org.
May, 9 2010
June 14-15: Michigan's 2nd Annual Statewide Conference on Integrated Services for Individuals with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: "Promoting Recovery, Supporting Wellness & Facilitating Change"
Registration is open for this two-day conference intended for PIHP/CMHSP/CA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Providers, Administrators, Staff, Peer Support Specialists, Consumers, Case Managers, Physicians, Nurses, Therapists and Substance Abuse Professionals.
Conference goals: (1) to promote integration of services across public mental health and substance abuse system care for persons with serious mental illness, developmental disability, and/or substance use disorders; (2) to promote knowledge about co-occurring disorders and the value of integration of services in the context of an environment of recovery; (3) to support the development of a co-occurring capable system of care; and (4) to advocate, facilitate and partner with others to create the continued transformation of co-occurring services which promote integrated treatment and recovery for all people.
Details about the conference and online registration links can be found atwww.michfed.org.
May, 9 2010
June 22-23: 2010 Michigan Teen Conference "Take Charge of Your Journey!"
This amazing conference is for youth ages 14-21, their caregivers, and professionals who work with teens. It will be held on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant. This conference is also an excellent place for foster parents to earn training credit hours. Check it out now! Registrations and payment are due by May 30 to conference fiduciary Lutheran Social Services of Michigan.
The full brochure, registration, and release forms are available atwww.michfed.org.
April 18, 2010
Coalition PRIDE Training Schedule
10/20/09 through 10/2010
You must complete Orientation with your agency, Starr, Youth Guidance, Family and Children’s Services, Branch DHS, Lutheran, Bethany or Calhoun DHS.
