Winter Focus Article

Finding your own personal voice is
no easy task. It takes insight, honest
introspection, and sometimes a little
support. In the case of college hopefuls,
defining their voice is all too often
boiled down to
the formidable
personal state-
ment essay.
And for most
teenagers, writ-
ing this essay is
probably their
first experience
with defining
their voice, or
“self-advocating.” It’s a challenging
proposition. For 17-year-old Brittany,
this essay is an opportunity to share her
experience and redefine her future on
her own terms. As a transition-age youth
in foster care, Brittany has been asked
many times to share her story. For years
she was asked personal questions about
her life so that others could understand
what she has been through, but this
essay is an opportunity to show that
she understands herself.
All too often, the voices and desires
of foster youth are defined by the
providers and support people around
them. Foster youth are left without a say
in the forces that shape their lives. They
are left voiceless. Transition-age youth
experience many of the challenges that
all foster youth face—loss, abrupt place-
ment changes, and a lack of control
over their circumstances. However,
transition-age youth must also cope with
added pressure
to learn inde-
pendent living
skills, prepare
to support them-
selves financially,
and begin mak-
ing decisions
about their
future. For youth
who have grown
up in a system where others make choices
for them, this challenge can be incredibly
daunting. For Brittany, this lack of con-
trol in her own life led her to withdraw
and underachieve.
While in her biological mother’s care,
Brittany frequently missed school because
she lacked support and felt she needed
to be home to care for her mother, who
struggled with substance abuse. Brittany
describes being unmotivated during this
time because she felt hopeless and had
no control over her life. Brittany lived
with various relatives for several years
before entering the system at age 15.
As a result, she attended five different
schools for high school alone. Upon
entering her junior year of high school,
Brittany was significantly behind on
credits and not on track to graduate.
According to Brittany, she had no posi-
tive role models, and many people she
encountered seemed to expect her to
fail, leaving her hesitant to share her
story or seek support from anyone.
Newsletter of the Foster Family-based Treatment Association
WINTER2016•Volume22/Number1
1
Finding Her Voice —by Lillian Conboy and “Brittany”
continued on pg. 2
FOCUSA on
Transitions in
Treatment Foster Care
Finding Her Voice
Editor’s Column
From Former Foster Youth to
Foster Care Professional
What’s up in Public Policy
Effective, Child-Centered
Transitions for Young Children
Spotlight on Texas and North
Carolina Chapters
Adopt the Family
Fostering Transitions for Our Youth
Encouraging Master’s Graduates
to Work in

This situation, of course, is not unique to Brittany. Many
foster youth experience similar challenges in school due to
frequent and abrupt transitions. And, like Brittany, many youth
are not given the opportunity to show their real potential or
find their voice in all the movement.
For Brittany, the process of
finding her voice began by
participating in a program we
developed with that goal in
mind. The Seneca Family of
Agencies’ Youth Advisory
Board gives young people the
opportunity to find support
and confidence by working
alongside other youth with
shared experiences. Brittany’s
therapist recommended that
she join the newly formed
Youth Advisory Board, an
organization whose purposes
are to place youth voices at the forefront of our work and to
shift our view of youth as “clients” to that of “collaborators.”
Brittany was quick to join. The Youth Advisory Board repre-
sented a chance for Brittany to engage with other foster
youth in a comfortable setting. They could relate with one
another. They shared many of the same experiences and
hardships. In short, through the group, Brittany could share
her feelings and experiences with people who understood in
a way that no provider could. They were peers.
Through the Youth Advisory Board, Brittany now serves as a
consultant for Seneca management and is involved in training
for new staff and foster parents, sharing her own experiences
and insights with providers. Brittany communicates about her
needs, goals, and positive and negative experiences working
with providers so that they can better work with youth like
her. Youth Advisory Board members also provide peer-to-peer
mentoring, allowing Brittany to see the impact that sharing her
story can have for other youth with similar experiences. The
Youth Advisory Board emphasizes that members choose what
they would like to share, as they are the experts about their
own lives. In sharing her experiences on her own terms and
seeing the power of her voice, Brittany has gained a sense of
ownership over her story.
In the past year, Brittany has begun to actively take part in
planning her treatment sessions with providers, ensuring that
she receives adequate support in processing her past as well
as planning for her future. Brittany facilitated her own goals
continued on pg. 3
Finding Her Voice | continued from pg. 1
The Youth Advisory
Board represented a
chance for Brittany
to engage with other
foster youth in a
comfortable setting.
They could relate
with one another.
EDITOR’S COLUMN
— by Beverly Johnson, LCSW
continued on pg. 3
Embracing Change in the Absence of Choice
The new year often signifies a time for a new
start. Resolutions are born and commitments
are made to change the things we want to be
different in our lives. Often such change is self-
directed and is a choice we make to improve
ourselves and our surroundings—getting
healthy, changing jobs, or getting organized.
Other changes aren’t so self-directed and
involve little or no choice—losing a job sudden-
ly, facing a health crisis, or separating from a
loved one. These types of change require us to
fully commit to the process of change (transi-
tion) so that we may learn and grow from these
experiences, however painful they may feel at
the time. Difficult change, when embraced, has
the ability to teach us much about ourselves if
we are open to this possibility (and to accepting
a little help from our family and friends).
Many of our foster youth experience change in
the absence of choice throughout their lives—in
many cases, starting well before they first
encounter foster care. For these youth to suc-
cessfully transform themselves into survivors,
they must have the supports in place not only to
ensure a healthy outlook and outcome but also
to develop resiliency and a way to bounce back
for the next wave of changes in their lives—
changes that, it is hoped, they direct themselves.
In this issue of FOCUS, we share ideas and
best practices from across the country and from
former foster youth to professionals in the field
on managing inevitable change and the essen-
tial transitions necessary to foster good health.
Starting with our cover story about Brittany, a
former foster youth and current professional
who turned challenges into a voice for herself
and other youth she represents, this issue
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly,
but rarely admit the changes it has gone through
to achieve that beauty.” —Maya Angelou
2

meeting, identifying ways that providers and natural sup-
ports can empower her as she prepares to transition out of
foster care. Brittany is eligible to attend the University of
California, has completed and submitted her college appli-
cations, and will graduate on time with her peers. In fact,
Brittany just received her first college acceptance letter.
It’s Brittany’s voice that does the best job of telling her
story, and her final personal statement is proof of that.
Here is an excerpt from Brittany’s story:
I have faced countless challenges in my life, many of
which were not in my control. As a youth in foster care,
adults often made decisions for me about where I could
live or when I could see my family. However, because
of my resilience, I have made the choice to change my
circumstances. I know that I would not be where I am
today without my ability to adapt and remain focused
on my goals. With a
lot of self-reflection I
finally understand that
although I cannot
change my past, I am
in control of the deci-
sions that will deter-
mine my future. Today,
through my participa-
tion in a Youth
Advisory Board, I have
the opportunity to tell
my story and advocate
for youth like me. I’ve
taught myself that my
future starts with me.
Lillian Conboy is a Family
Support Counselor for ITFC
with Seneca Family of Agencies
in the California Bay Area.
She has been working with
“Brittany” for over a year, most
recently focusing on college
readiness. “Brittany” has
been accepted to a four year
university in California.
3
includes a call by Hank Marotske for child
welfare organizations to engage foster care
alumni as the best salespeople for our mission.
These two stories capture resiliency at work.
Keisha Bryan writes about shifting the per-
ceived negative image of working in Treatment
Foster Care in order to recruit and retain bright
individuals in this important work. And an
experienced foster parent and supervisor in
the field will remind you of effective, child-
centered practice interventions for transitioning
children from foster care to home.
We also hope you like our new What’s Up in
Public Policy column and the Chapter Updates.
I think we can all accept that change is
inevitable, that it is often not our choice, and
that transitions can be
painful. Let’s commit to
preparing our youth with
the skills and supports
necessary to embrace this
understanding so they
can fully realize the
individuals they are
meant to be.
Beverly Johnson, LCSW is the
Chief Program Officer of Lilliput
Children’s Services. She is a member
of the FFTA Board of Directors and
serves as the vice chair of the FFTA
Editorial Committee.
Finding Her Voice
| continued from pg. 2
Editor’s Column

4
continued on pg. 5
Although nowhere near perfect, the foster care system is
getting better. More youth are being supported as they
launch into interdependent adulthood, social scaffoldings are
helping to break generational welfare, and more and more
young adults who aged out or spent the majority of their
childhood in foster care are going on to college. (To this day
I argue that college was the best therapy for me.) It seems
many of us alumni have a strong internal drive to give back,
help youth of today, and impact the future of foster care.
This wave of professional child welfare engagement by adults
who experienced foster care, adoption, and other child welfare
services could not come at a better time. Social media is con-
necting us in ways never before imaginable. Just 5 years ago, I
felt like I was an island, the “token” professional with a personal
story. Little did I know that there was an army out there of pro-
fessionals with personal experiences to fuel their passion.
Now, with macro-level systemic changes happening in
every state and at the federal level, these professionals with
personal narratives to support their mission are just what
policy makers need to guide much-needed reform to ensure
better interventions and services for the next generation of
youth in care. As one alumnus shared, “Lived experience is
richer than any degree.” I would argue that the combination
of lived experience and a degree with professional experi-
ence makes for a lethal combination of advocacy and influ-
ential policy reform.
In other successful social movements, those directly impact-
ed have the centric voice: women’s rights, racial equality,
medical advocacy, and so forth. Unfortunately, in foster care
and child welfare, we have politicians and subject matter
experts speaking on behalf of those experiencing services.
Although such efforts are well intentioned, I can share first-
hand after witnessing legislative work groups that politicians
do not understand foster care and that professionals struggle
with articulating our story effectively. Work groups, legislative
task forces, and public policy wonks want alumni engagement.
But are they truly ready? I was recently told by a colleague,
“You do not know anything about foster care.” This despite
four years working as an LSW (Licensed Social Worker), four
years serving on a board for a foster care agency, serving on a
national foster care advisory committee, and serving on a fos-
ter care work group designated by the governor’s child welfare
legislative task force—not to mention the 8 years I spent in
foster care. Energy and passion about foster care were per-
ceived as “self-promoting” by certain colleagues. Interestingly,
external feedback was the opposite—that my energy and pas-
sion were bringing an awareness, education, and energy that
inspired community engagement.
Initially, I took this negative evaluation as a personal affront.
After reaching out to fellow professional alumni, however,
I found that this reaction, though not common, was not rare.
Apparently we have all experienced it at some point.
—by Hank Marotske, BSW, MBA
From Former
Foster Youth
to
Foster Care
Professional
I predict that we are about to see a generational shift, a wave of alumni
influence in various leadership capacities in the foster care system.

5
From Former Foster Youth to Foster Care Professional | continued from pg. 4
We are changing this narrative as more and more alumni of
the child welfare system are taking on leadership roles, advo-
cating, and sharing their stories to influence policy and sys-
tems change. We do this because we are passionate about our
personal experiences; whether those experiences were positive
or negative, we feel the need and the drive to engage and to
make proper representation to improve the outcomes of cur-
rent and future foster youth.
Having had the opportunity to engage in state and federal
legislative processes and numerous professional organizations,
I have a couple of observations. Sometimes, though not
always, passionate and experienced program leaders lose the
public and legislators by using professional jargon. After such
an engagement, audience members are more confused than
they were before. Even the most informative and passionate
presentation can leave an audience more perplexed if the lan-
guage is undecipherable. Conversely, I’ve seen passionate,
bold foster alumni lose their audience because of an argument
that was too emotionally charged with a personal narrative
that generalized all of foster care and was not supported with
research and data. These presentations often come across as
bitter and vindictive.
When foster alumni combine their personal experience with
professional insight and credibility, the power to influence is
incredible. Our personal narrative tugs at the heartstrings and
builds a personal connection; supported by data and validated
research, we can be powerful change agents. Information is
everywhere, and it is our responsibility to be informed, either
through formal education or self-teaching. Taking time to
educate oneself can be a particularly healing experience,
bringing closure to any remaining emotional wounds.
My first experience in meeting influential alumni was
Chris Chmielewski of Foster Focus magazine (http://www.
fosterfocusmag.com), the nation’s only monthly magazine
devoted to foster care—and produced by a former foster
youth! Not all the articles are written by alumni, but many are.
Mr. Chmielewski is considered the godfather in alumni circles.
He is abreast of current issues related to child welfare and fos-
ter care; he is deeply connected across the country and with
most of the larger organizations. He is one of the first alumni
I encountered who used a professional approach supported
with research and data in combination with his personal
experience to educate and make impactful change.
This past year, I had the opportunity to connect with
Shalita O’Neale. Mrs. O’Neale is a regular columnist for Foster
Focus and is Executive Director of Hope Forward in Baltimore,
connecting transitioning foster youth with life skills resources
and long-term solutions as well as empowering youth to create
systems change through leadership and advocacy. After
attending one of her alumni networking events, I was inspired
by the talent, the passion, and the energy this fraternity of for-
mer foster youth exhibited professionally.
My Facebook page is littered with over 200 connections to
alumni doing amazing work in our field, all leading local and
national alumni leadership and advocacy efforts. The momen-
tum has already started, and program and policy leaders will
not be able to dismiss our experiences or confuse our passion
with self-promotion. These remarkable leaders are armed not
only with their passion driven by personal narratives but also
with an unmatched professional expertise.
Recently a few alumni have joined forces to collaborate on a
consulting joint venture to help foster care organizations.
Fostering Change Network (www.fosteringchangenetwork.com)
was created as a professional service to individuals and organiza-
tions that serve foster youth. The organization is an alumni-led
network of socially connected, professionally successful individ-
uals dedicated to improving outcomes for current and future
foster youth. The organization will focus on strategic planning,
board development, social media, marketing and communica-
tions, grant writing and resource development, program and
organizational development, and foster parent trainings.
My recommendation is that all organizations embrace the
opportunity to have former foster youth involved—on their
boards, on their staff, as trainers, as consultants, and, most
important, within their leadership structure. I also caution
organizations not to shortchange personal experiences, which
are far more valuable than any paper degree, nor should we
confuse energy with self-promotion. Rather, embrace personal
experience, encourage it, help sharpen and refine it, leverage
it to help your organization improve the experience of your
current clients. Assist alumni in leveraging their personal narra-
tives with best practices to influence policy, to build state and
federal connections, and to recruit foster parents and donors.
We can be the best “salespeople” for your mission.
Hank Marotske, BSW, MBA, is an alumnus of foster
care and has extensive private agency, federal, and
state child welfare leadership experience. He is
currently in transition seeking senior leadership or
consulting opportunities in child welfare and foster
care. He volunteers for the FFTA Editorial, Policy,
and Innovation committees. Follow him on Twitter:
@HankMarotske #HankTheHat

6
Welcome to 2016, the beginning of the end of the
114th Congress and a presidential election year
with prospects of totally changing America’s political
systems! Lest you wonder what politics has to do
with you and your work, rest assured that everything
we need to succeed in this difficult environment is
impacted by public policy, appropriations, and
government regulations.
So what requires public policy attention for the later
winter and spring? As you know, the world of politics
changes continually. However, the following items
are definitely among our priorities for FFTA members
and agencies:
• FFTA continues to promulgate our support for the
Family First Act, described in detail in this column
last fall. This act is still awaiting a committee hear-
ing. The key aspects are (1) new Title IV-E monies to
address needs of candidates for out-of-home care
and to serve those youth and families through pre-
vention services, and (2) a new definition of and
requirements on congregate care for the placement
of appropriate children in Quality Residential
Treatment Programs (QRTPs).
• Senators Debbie Stabenow and Roy Blunt have
filed a bill to allow all 24 states that are participat-
ing in the planning grants for implementation of
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
(CCBHCs) to be funded in the pilots to begin in
January 2017. This legislation requires CCBHCs to
coordinate with state-licensed and nationally
accredited Treatment Foster Care (TFC) agencies for the provision of services to youth needing our care.
• The Family-based Foster Care Services Act (S. 429 and H.R. 835) will create a uniform, national definition of TFC.
We continue to gain new cosponsors in the House and the Senate and among both parties in support of this legislation.
• The U.S. Department of Labor intends to announce modified rules for overtime pay for white-collar workers in July 2016. FFTA is
engaged in discussions concerning numerous questions about the impact of these proposed changes on child-serving agencies.
Have you noticed new diagnostic categories in the DSM-5 that are applicable to the children we serve in Treatment Foster Care?
Be sure to take note of these two categories: Other Specified Trauma/Stressor-Related Disorder (309.89) and Disinhibited Social
Engagement Disorder (313.89). If your state requires or encourages trauma-informed treatment, you may have access to these
codes rather than having to assign a pathological diagnosis to the youth in your care.
Mark your calendars for the Annual Public Policy Institute May 2–3 in Washington, D.C.! Detailed updates on all the areas outlined
above will be presented along with an opportunity to hear directly from the new Commissioner of the Administration on Children,
Youth and Families and other experts. Visit www.ffta.org/ppi for information.
By Laura Boyd, Ph.D., FFTA Public Policy Director
Visit www.ffta.org/ppi

7
hild development research from the last half century
emphasizes that developing an attachment to a caring,
consistent, and committed parent figure is critical to a
child’s well-being. We also know that some children,
especially younger children living with a foster parent,
may develop an attachment to a new caregiver in a few
days or weeks, whereas others may have great difficulty
doing so as a result of past trauma. At the same time,
young children in foster care typically do not have enough
time during foster care to maintain an attachment to their
biological parent(s) or original parent figure(s). So what
are the most effective strategies for transitioning children
in foster care back home? Dr. Charles Zeanah, a leading
child development researcher who has worked with chil-
dren in foster care, offers some guidelines based on his
research that have been incorporated into policy and
practice in several U.S. states.
First, it’s important to know that sudden transitions can
increase harm to children, in part because children have
already experienced trauma through the first removal and
because they just don’t understand what’s happening. This
observation may seem like common sense, but we know
that children in foster care are frequently moved with little
or no notice by agencies or courts. Sudden moves negative-
ly impact the child who is in care as well as any children
living in either the foster home or the birth family’s home.
Children in TFC (Treatment Foster Care) may be even
more vulnerable to that harm.
Second, to reduce harm, conduct transitions gradually,
in a thoughtful and planful way. For example, gradually
reintroduce the birth parent(s) to the child in the presence
of the current parent figure(s), and then gradually increase
the amount of time the child spends with the birth par-
ent(s). According to Dr. Zeanah, this process allows the
child to “rebuild and reawaken [his or her] attachment
with the birth parent, and to ease the loss of a foster par-
ent.” Ideally, both sets of parents participate so that the
child can see all the adults interacting in a positive manner
and hear consistent messages about what’s happening.
All the adults support the child together. It’s also important
to explain and acknowledge the transition formally. For a
move, the child needs to understand that “it’s not just a
play date; [he or she] should have a chance to say good-
bye.” While in best circumstances a child can maintain
long term contact with the foster parent, in the days and
weeks after a move it is important to let the child spend
time with the foster parent(s) even though the child is liv-
ing with the biological parent(s). Attending to the young
child’s need to attach to a consistent, caring parent should
help ameliorate the stress from all the other transitions the
child may be experiencing—a new family living situation, a
new school, a new child-care or after-school program, new
daily routines, and the like. In summary, to reduce the
potential harm of transitions, prepare together, transition
gradually, and talk with the child all the way along.
The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), active in eight
states, is an effort to improve the quality of foster parent-
ing. The QPI has produced an extensive set of trainings on
this topic that include perspectives and advice from foster
parents, birth parents, young people, researchers, and clini-
cians. Check out the Florida QPI Training website under
the topic “Transitions”: http://www.qpiflorida.org/justin-
time/pages/topicindex.html#nine.
Note: This article summarizes Child Centered Transitions,
a presentation by Dr. Charles H. Zeanah Jr., MD, Institute of
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Tulane University
School of Medicine.
Gretchen Test, MSW, is a Senior Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation,
located in Baltimore, MD. She serves on the FFTA Board of Directors and is the
Chair of the Editorial Committee.
Effective, Child-
Centered Transitions
for Young Children—
Some Basic Guidance
—by Gretchen Test, MSW
C

8
FFTA Chapter
Spotlight
The FFTA Texas Chapter is so excited about the new year! In December
2015, we wrapped up our first year as a chapter by holding the largest
kinship summit that FFTA has had thus far. More than 100 attendees
came from all across the state. Through this summit, we brought public
and private partners together for a two-day training and strategic plan-
ning session on how we, as a state, can approach kinship more effec-
tively. We were able to share best practices, clarify questions and con-
cerns, and look at the best way to work together to license kinship fam-
ilies in Texas. In addition, the summit provided us valuable training,
networking opportunities, and connections from across Texas. Our CPS
(Child Protective Services) Commissioner, the Honorable John Specia,
participated in the summit as a guest speaker and was a great motiva-
tor for all of us. As we start 2016, we are in the midst of planning how
we will carry out our action steps developed from the summit in order
to keep our momentum on the critical issue of kinship care.
The year 2016 brings a continued focus on kinship care as well as on
how to join forces to recruit more families that can provide therapeutic
foster care services to children in need. Together, we believe we can
share resources and open up more opportunities for families to
receive training, development, and shared respite opportunities.
Because our state is so big and so spread out, these networking
opportunities are crucial to the success of our families. The chapter
also allows us to develop initiatives and strategies that we all believe
are important and to rally around those needs as a collective force. We
plan on having attendees at the upcoming FFTA Public Policy Institute
in Washington, D.C., in May 2016. Participation last year was success-
ful not only in the training we received but also in our appointments
with congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. We want to ensure that our
political leaders know the impact they can have on our child welfare
system in Texas, so we will be back at the Institute this spring!
We are also going to push hard for a high rate of attendance at the
FFTA 30th Annual Conference, being held this summer in New
Orleans. Last year, many Texas providers attended the Conference,
and we were able to hold a chapter meeting to discuss our work in
Texas. The chapter meeting was also a great networking opportunity
for all of us. We plan to host another chapter meeting at the 2016
Conference. The members of the Texas chapter are excited about the
opportunities that lie in front of us and the ability to network with
other wonderful providers across our country.
By—Carolyn Bishop, LMSW, FFTA’s Texas Chapter Chair
(Arrow Child and Family Ministries)
Collaborating for Excellence in 2016!
The FFTA North Carolina Chapter hosted our annual planning event on
January 19, 2016. This event connected the FFTA national association, FFTA
state members, North Carolina Division leaders, and a state association in a
collaborative discussion to design the work for the chapter in 2016.
Our FFTA chapter seeks to maximize the benefits from the national asso-
ciation in the delivery of resources to our network of providers serving
children and families in North Carolina. During 2016, our chapter will
link national events—such as the Public Policy Institute (May 2–3) and the
National Conference (July 10–13)—to our local members. It is our goal to
actively support attendance by our local membership at these events.
The North Carolina chapter supports conference attendance by providing
the registration fee for one attendee selected from our membership. We
will continue this tradition in 2016 and will share the resources from
these events at the chapter meetings to benefit the membership.
The FFTA North Carolina Chapter has appointed members to serve on
committees at the national FFTA level and to provide committee reports
at our meetings. This process brings the latest tools and information in
public policy, research, editorials, and the like to our members without
requiring that they attend all the committee meetings. As the national
benefits expand to include webinars, resource publications, and discus-
sion forums, the local chapter will link this information to the member-
ship. These resources, slide presentations, and handouts will be
reviewed at chapter meetings and distributed to our membership.
In preparation for 2016, representatives from the state division and from
Benchmark Family Services met with the FFTA planning team by phone
and email to share information and collaborate in planning next steps for
our chapter. These discussions highlighted an array of topics for the chap-
ter to consider addressing this year, including state and national public
policy, recruitment and training of foster families, placement stability, suc-
cessful reunifications, actively engaging biological families, placement
matching inclusive of school district, monitoring, and outcome measures.
Although the list is long, the resources of the national FFTA combined
with the dedication of the North Carolina membership, our state divisions,
and our state association provide a framework as we move forward.
Plans for 2016 include providing training, expanding membership,
and collaborating for more success in service delivery in our state. Our
next steps include the selection of topics and training events for 2016
by the training committee leadership. Membership development is a
continual process that includes assigned contacts for some members.
Our collaboration will be supported through our meeting agendas and
continual communications during 2016. We invite you to join us on
February 26, May 13, September 9, and December 2 from 10:30 to
2:30 in Burlington, North Carolina, as we connect to better serve chil-
dren and families in North Carolina through FFTA!
By—Phyllis K. Stephenson, FFTA’s North Carolina Chapter Chair
(Stephenson Consultation)
NORTH CAROLINA
TEXAS

9
Change is hard, ya’ll.
One of my first “adult” life lessons was
understanding that change, even if it’s
change for the better, involves some griev-
ing. When circumstances change, we must
allow ourselves time to mourn the loss of
what was and what will not be. When,
after three and a half years, I left my first
post-school, real adult job for something
bigger and better, I didn’t expect to be sad
about leaving a position that wasn’t work-
ing for me, but I was. How infinitely hard-
er it must be for children, without the
advantage of a developed adult brain and years of life expe-
rience, to reconcile the mixed emotions of leaving a loving
foster home for reunification with their biological family.
My partner and I recently supported the reunification of
our two foster children, girls ages 6 and 12, with their bio-
logical mom. The girls, who were removed from their
mother’s care almost three years before, never faltered from
their dedication to their mom and their desire to be reuni-
fied with her. And their mom, to her credit, never stopped
working and advocating for that to happen. She expressed
her love for her girls every day of those three years. But liv-
ing with their mom isn’t perfect for the girls. It’s hard. They
have limited financial resources, insecure housing, and fami-
ly members with failing health. Even with all the love in
the world, their single mom can’t provide the same support,
homework help, structure, and opportunities that the girls
had when they were living with us, a stay-at-home mom
and a work-from-home mom. Nonetheless, these girls need
to be with their mother and her unconditional love in order
to heal from the trauma that led to their removal.
In an ideal world, the girls would have stayed in our care
longer before transitioning home to their mother. But the
child welfare system doesn’t always do what is in the best
interests of the children. So we made it work. We did
everything we could to prepare the girls for their move
home, including arranging respite visits with mom, supple-
menting food and gas money, providing ongoing after-
school care and homework help, and, most of all, staying
interested and involved in their lives. We even took a fami-
ly trip with the girls and their mom to the mountains where
the girls experienced the joy of snow for the first time.
If there were a set of rules or a guidebook for making
foster kids’ transitions easier, we would have figured that
out by now. Each situation is unique, and what works in
one case may not work in another. Even so, I have learned
a few things that I hope will give our girls a better chance
of success in life.
Family is the key word. Our family has expanded and
now includes the girls, their mom, and their extended
family. Most kids enter the system because of the actions
of adults in their lives. It would be easy to vilify the peo-
ple who hurt the kids, but that is a cop-out. It is harder to
see the adults as fallible human beings worthy of our com-
passion. My partner and I embraced the girls’ biological
continued on pg. 10
Adopt the Family, Not Just the Kids
—by Robin Bowen
Familyis the
key word.

mother and co-parented with her. We
backed up her decisions, and she backed
up ours. The girls still struggle with their
divided loyalties, but their behaviors
improve when they witness their mom
and us cooperating and enjoying each
other’s company. Not all foster kids
want or should have contact with adults
from their biological family, but all kids
want and need to know their origin
story and where they came from. As
foster parents, we don’t just get a kid,
we get all the people and memories that
the kids bring with them. We must
embrace the entire child and her history.
That means not only acknowledging her
biological family but also becoming the
guardian of those relationships.
Teamwork is crucial. The child welfare system is com-
plicated and difficult to navigate. The different players all
have different interests and viewpoints. Even so, I am sur-
prised and dismayed when relations between people work-
ing on behalf of the child become adversarial. The overar-
ching principle should be to remain firmly focused on the
best interests of the child. This commitment cannot hap-
pen unless the people involved communicate with each
other and resolve to work as a team. Opinions may differ
about whether something is in the best interests of the
child, but adults should be able to discuss the reasons
behind their opinions and come to an agreement. Simply
not communicating those opinions is failing our duty to
the child.
Keep the focus on the kids, not on ourselves. When peo-
ple learn that I am a foster parent, their reaction is usually
to express admiration for the “good deed” that I am doing
and for my selflessness. I don’t feel selfless, though. I am
consistently enriched and fulfilled by seeing kids with end-
less potential grow and mature. I receive the company of
amazing kids who entertain me and challenge me daily. My
joy comes from seeing our girls get what is best for them,
even if it is not a decision I would have made. I must accept
that their mother makes different parenting choices than I
would make. I must accept that even though life is harder,
their rightful place is with their mom. Rather than remind-
ing myself to be selfless, I choose to take pleasure in know-
ing that I am helping them succeed rather than constantly
worrying about whether the placement will fail.
Adopt the family, not just the kids.
Robin Bowen is a certified ITFC parent.
Adopt the Family, Not Just the Kids | continued from pg. 9
Teamwork is
crucial.
10

11
Our lives are made up of transitions, big and small.
From the mundane to the catastrophic, transitions are a
part of our everyday lives. From the time we wake up in
the morning to the time we go to bed at night, we experi-
ence thousands of transitions. Life’s bigger picture is made
up of larger transitions, such as starting school, moving
through school systems, graduating, and moving into adult-
hood. Individually, we transition through developmental
stages and milestones. If we’re lucky we have parents and
family to teach us how to make these transitions with ease
and, every so often, a little bit of grace.
For many of our foster youth, few supportive adults have
been available to help guide them through these periods of
transition, which are starkly different from those of other
youth. Starting with their initial move from their parent’s
home to a stranger’s home, they transition in and out of a
potentially endless stream of homes, families, schools, and
friends. There are transitions to and from visitations with
birth parents or in and out of classrooms when it’s time for
supportive services or if any worker wants to talk with them.
Maybe even from foster care back to a parent’s or relative’s
home, or exiting foster care entirely at the age of 18.
For transitions that are experienced by most people, socie-
ty provides guidelines on how to navigate from one life
stage to another. For example, in high school we take class-
es in home economics, sex education, and driver’s education
to prepare us for our transition into adulthood. For foster
children, however, there is no class on their transition to
independent living. There is no test at the end of foster care
to evaluate their level of understanding.
Consider this scenario: After a one-hour, court-ordered
visit with Mom, whom you have missed terribly but are also
angry at for putting you in this scary situation, after being
observed under bright artificial lighting and playing with
toys that have dead batteries, you have no guidance about
what to say or how to feel and behave when you return to
your foster home. Or worse yet, no one offers help when
you return from a visit after your parent doesn’t show up.
What happens then?
Children often become so confused, overwhelmed, and
angry that they lash out. Maybe they hit the dog or their
foster brother. Some foster parents aren’t equipped to han-
dle this type of behavior and feel forced to request removal.
The child is then faced with yet another transition to a new
home, a new family, a new school, and new friends.
Some may argue that foster children should be experts at
transitions because they have ample opportunities to prac-
tice and they are “used to it.” But the fact is that foster youth
experience all the same transitions as their peers, while at
the same time grieving many losses, being triggered by early
traumatic memories, and learning to navigate new family
and community expectations.
Fostering
Transitions
For
Our
Youth
—by Abby Loyola, LCSW
Transition: The process or a period of changing
from one state or condition to another.
continued on pg. 12

12
So what can parents and
professionals do to help our
foster youth with these
transitions? First and most
important, we need to
listen, not only to what
our kids are telling us
with their words but
also to what they are
telling us with their behavior.
A young person who exhibits
angry outbursts or disobeys a caregiver
may be telling us that he is frightened or
feeling out of control. It is not uncommon, for example,
that a child will exhibit challenging behavior before and after
a birth family visit because he wonders if he will have to
leave his foster family or if this might be the last time he will
ever see Mom or Dad. He might wonder if the foster parent
will be angry if he says he misses his birth family or worry
that if he demonstrates any affection toward his foster family,
his birth family may be upset. During these times caregivers
and professionals can help to normalize children’s experi-
ences and even help them predict what they might be feel-
ing. “I bet you worry about what to call me in front of your
mom, so let’s talk about this. Lots of children feel this way.”
When children do behave negatively, we can have empathy
for them and help them name their feelings instead of
getting angry and punishing them.
Second, we can help children be prepared for upcoming
transitions. We can talk with children about their expecta-
tions and concerns and together find a way to lessen their
worry. This support can occur when a child starts a new
school, begins a new community activity, or has an upcom-
ing visit with her birth family. Some examples of such sup-
port include visiting a new school or visitation site prior to
the first day, meeting the teacher, checking out the cafeteria,
or discussing where birth family
visits will take place and who
will supervise them.
Deliberate and thoughtful
preparation for visitation
can be extremely helpful
for children and foster par-
ents as well. Caregivers can
prompt discussion and use story-
telling to help children prepare for
things they might be worried about:
“Today you’re going to see Mom. Why don’t
you tell her about your school field trip?” “This
homework looks tough. I wonder if your dad can show you
how to solve this problem.” “Your mom’s birthday is next
week. Let’s make a card for her.” “You might be feeling a
lot of things after this visit, so let’s plan on a low-key night
tonight, okay?”
Third, providing a transition object can help children move
more easily from one event to another. For a younger child,
the object might be a blanket or a favorite doll or stuffed toy.
For an older child, it might be a photo of her birth family or
adoptive family that she keeps in her backpack. A special
note from the birth parent or caregiver or a list of emergency
phone numbers can also provide a sense of security.
Last, but not least, helping children connect with school and
community resources can provide opportunities for support.
Within the world of child welfare are many remarkable
agencies, foster parents, birth parents, and truly extraordinary
children. The ideas laid out in this article are by no means
new, and many agencies have already implemented innova-
tive programs that have significantly improved the lives of
individuals touched by foster care. But we can do more.
Abby Loyola, LCSW, is a Program Supervisor for Lilliput, a Treatment Foster
Care agency in Sacramento, California.
Within the world of child welfare are many remarkable agencies,
foster parents, birth parents, and truly extraordinary children.
Fostering
Transitions
For Our
Youth

13
Treatment Foster Care may be the
most challenging yet the most rewarding
area of child welfare. There are signifi-
cant differences between studying
childhood development, treating
children in an outpatient mental health
setting, supporting a young person’s
learning process in a school setting,
and working with youth in their most
natural environment—their home.
Long days, on-call demands, hospitalizations, lots of
paperwork, early mornings, late evenings, home visits, unsafe
neighborhoods, and no work life balance—these words and
phrases have been used by many outsiders to describe work-
ing in a Treatment Foster Care (TFC) program. On the
other hand, the words and phrases of those who have
worked in a Treatment Foster Care program are quite differ-
ent. Shontel Jamison-Smith, a Baltimore, Maryland, school
social worker and CEO of Jamison Social Work
Professionals, reflects on her many years spent working in
Treatment Foster Care: “It prepared me to deal with crisis
situations, including my first hospitalization, and it taught
me how to interact with each child and family to better
assess the needs for effective strategic planning” (S. Jamison-
Samuels, personal communication, December 30, 2015).
Aisha Mackall, LCSW-C, currently a psychotherapist with
Kaiser Permanente and previously a direc-
tor of a Treatment Foster Care program in
Baltimore, states, “TFC provides insight
and expertise to learn unique, individual-
ized, effective approaches to develop clini-
cal skills that are transferable in whatever
setting you decide to practice as you grow
in the field of social work” (A. Mackall,
personal communication, January 2, 2016).
As I transitioned to the role of Director in a Treatment
Foster Care program, I found the program was short staffed.
After aggressively recruiting through job fairs, internal and
external job postings on various sites, social media postings,
and word of mouth, I received résumés primarily from recent
master’s-level graduates. Despite my emphasis on providing
therapeutic services rather than case management, most
applicants appeared hesitant to work in a Treatment Foster
Care program. One applicant stated, “I would rather do ther-
apy in a school for the same amount that you are offering
me to work in TFC.” I was somewhat astonished to hear this
candidly unfiltered remark, but the more I pondered this
comment the less taken aback I became. As I spoke with col-
leagues, I found that others were having similar challenges in
staffing their Treatment Foster Care programs. New gradu-
ates were reluctant to work in foster care because of the pre-
conceived notions described earlier.
Encouraging Master’s
Graduates to Work in
—by Keisha Bryan, LCSW-C
“Striving for success
without hard work is like
trying to harvest where
you haven’t planted.”
—David Bly
continued on pg. 14

14
Is there something that we as leaders can
do to transform the way that child welfare,
specifically Treatment Foster Care, is being
depicted? Can educators and field instructors
shift the mind-set of students about the pro-
found and invaluable work that is being done
in Treatment Foster Care?
Treatment Foster Care offers its workers
the indispensable opportunity to wear multi-
ple hats: intensive case manager, advocate,
foster parent trainer, teacher, mentor, sup-
porter, therapist, and coach. For Treatment
Foster Care workers, case management is
compulsory because of compliance mandates.
For new graduates, this aspect of the job may not sound
appealing because historically case management has been
presumed to be the primary role of a Treatment Foster Care
worker; however, this task is only a portion of the role and
responsibility. Workers are trained in diagnosing using the
DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, 5th edition) because all youth in care must have a
diagnosis and must have a biopsychosocial assessment com-
pleted. TFC workers, despite not having the title “therapist,”
do provide therapeutic and clinical services by engaging and
building trust, planning activities and exercises for home and
community visits, collecting family history, teaching coping
skills, processing past trauma, recognizing triggers, and
coaching foster parents on how to work effectively with the
youth based on trauma history and diagnosis. TFC workers
also contract for safety and develop treatment plans while
advocating to ensure that the mental and physical health
needs of foster youth, as well as their educational and social
needs, are being met.
A collaborative effort is created between the local depart-
ment of social services, school officials, lawyers, parent advo-
cates, mentors, mental health providers, psychiatrists, medical
professionals, and biological and resource family members.
The Treatment Foster Care worker learns how to effectively
be the change agent in getting the team together to work in
the best interest of the child. The abilities to multitask, sched-
ule meetings, create agendas, delegate tasks, and effectively
hold team members accountable are skills that will be devel-
oped and will become invaluable to new social workers as
they progress in their careers.
The ability to build positive
working relationships not only
with the youth but with the
foster parents and biological
family members is a skill that
will be sharpened as the gradu-
ate transitions from school to
the workforce. Licensed foster
parents are often a melting pot
of various age groups, upbring-
ing, educational attainment,
socioeconomic levels, and cultures.
Learning about each foster parent and deci-
phering the best way to interact with each
are skills that are taught in school and practiced in the work-
place. Being able to work effectively with all players on the
team will allow TFC workers to access the genuine needs of
the youth and to create an effective strategic plan to address
their short- and long-term goals while working toward creat-
ing a permanency plan.
Being a Treatment Foster Care worker teaches one to
think and act expeditiously in high-stress circumstances.
Hospitalizing a youth, making a report to child protective
services, and having to break the limits of confidentiality
can all occur in Treatment Foster Care. Such events will
teach a new social worker how to assess a situation for
potential risks and safety factors while maintaining a coher-
ent and clinical thought process with the support of a super-
visor. Being in the field and engaging in home-based servic-
es allows a new social worker to become comfortable with
and acclimated to doing home- and community-based work
by learning and practicing safety precautions in nontradi-
tional work settings. This practice will truly teach the
notion of meeting clients where they are, which allows a
new social worker to think about and engage with a client
using out-of-the-box and unconventional tools.
To support a child in foster care who is dealing with many
dynamics—from abuse to abandonment to multiple transi-
tions to attachment-related issues to constant rejection and
perceived failure—is incredibly complex. However, when a
youth has small successes such as calling us to process a situa-
tion instead of acting out, we realize how necessary our role
as social workers truly is. We become that child’s “safe per-
son,” sometimes the first adult the child has ever been able to
offers its workers
the indispensable
opportunity to wear
multiple hats: intensive
case manager, advocate,
foster parent trainer,
teacher, mentor,
supporter, therapist,
and coach.
Encouraging Master’s Graduates to Work
in Treatment Foster Care | continued from pg. 13
continued on last page

FFTA Founders
Action Youth Care, Inc.
Ripley, WV
Alternative Family Services
Santa Rosa, CA
Beech Brook
Cleveland, OH
Boys Town
Boys Town, NE
CONCERN
Fleetwood, PA
EMQ/FamiliesFirst
Campbell, CA
Family Alternatives, Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
Lilliput Children’s Services
Citrus Heights, CA
The MENTOR Network
Boston, MA
National Youth Advocate Program
Columbus, OH
PATH, Inc.
Fargo, ND
People Places, Inc.
Staunton, VA
Pressley Ridge
Pittsburgh, PA
Seneca Family of Agencies
San Leandro, CA
Specialized Alternatives for
Families and Youth
Delphos, OH
Volunteers of America
New Orleans, LA
FFTA Patrons
Bluewater Family Support Services
Parkhill, Ontario
Get in FOCUS
FOCUS is a newsletter distributed to all
Foster Family-based Treatment Association
agency members. Agency membership ranges
from $700 and $4,750 annually. Individual
subscriptions to FOCUS are $60 per year.
To join FFTA or subscribe to FOCUS, contact:
FFTA Headquarters, 294 Union Street,
Hackensack, NJ 07601, phone: (800) 414-FFTA,
fax: (201) 489-6719, e-mail: ffta@ffta.org.
Visit our Web site at www.ffta.org.
Appearance of advertising and listings in this
publication does not indicate endorsement or
support by the FFTA of the product or service.
Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) • 294 Union Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 U.S.A.
Phone: (800) 414-3382 Fax: (201) 489-6719 E-mail: ffta@ffta.org Web: www.ffta.org
Newsletter of the Foster Family-based Treatment Association
The Foster Family-based Treatment Association strengthens agencies that
support families caring for vulnerable children.
trust. Building these relationships, getting to know young people for who
they are and not for how they present on the surface, and advocating for
them when they feel as if they do not have a voice all lay the groundwork
for a career as a clinician.
As organizational leaders, let us commit to teaching and encouraging our
social work students that transitioning to working in a Treatment Foster
Care program after graduation will teach and hone all the clinical skills
needed for career growth. All the skills learned will pave the way for a
knowledgeable, skilled, proficient, organized, and timely social worker.
Keisha Bryan, LCSW-C, is the Director of the Treatment Foster Care Program with e Children’s
Guild in Baltimore, Maryland. She also serves on the FFTA Editorial Committee.
Encouraging Master’s Graduates to
Work in Treatment Foster Care
Visit www.ffta.org/sponsor for more information.

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