Q: What are the benefits of

positive connections between

parents and foster parents?

A: I’ve seen that when parents and foster parents work together, kids go home more quickly and stay home. Kids in foster care also get better care when the parent and foster parent exchange information about the child and work together to make visits positive. Kids also feel less worried about their families. Many kids are worried about loyalty—if they like the foster parent, does that mean they can’t like their parent anymore?

They feel better if they see the foster parent and parent getting along. Reunification is also easier for the

child if the relationship with the foster parent doesn’t end, even if contact with the foster parent is just a birthday or Christmas card, a phone call, or occasional stopping by. The foster parent can become an ongoing support to the parent after reunification, someone who is an expert about their child. When things are tough and the kid is acting goofy, the parent can call and say, “What do I do?”

Foster parent is able to say, “This worked for me.” That can help prevent the child from re-entering foster

care.

For the social worker, it can make a case easier if the parents and foster parents click. Being a social worker can be a grueling, difficult job, with everybody making demands and neither parent wanting you in their lives.

Good relationships are booster shots that keep you going.

We are OSU Medical Center's Therapeutic Foster Care program. We have been helping children and families in NE Oklahoma for 15 years. We are located at OSU Regional Medical Center in Tulsa.

The children we serve come form dangerous, abusive, and/or neglectful homes and demonstrate a lot of unhealthy and dysfuntional behaviors. Our mission is to provide a network of safe and healthy homes along with therapeutic services to help these children have positive home life experiences and work through their emotional and behavioral problems. The ages we serve are from 3-18 years old.

Within our network we provide counseling and other therapeutic services for the children and families caring for them. These services include: individual, family, and group counseling; psychotropic medication if needed; counseling with bio-family if reunification is recommended; counseling with adopting families; crisis counseling and interventions; respite care; and discharge planning.

The families we work with are our biggest asset and make our program the success it is. They are a cohesive group who support each other, mentor newer families, and work well with our therapists. We do our best to offer support, education, respite care and assistance to our families to help them in as many ways possible.

Our therapeutic staff have years of experience working with children and families. Their compellation of knowledge, experience, and resources greatly benefit all they work with. They make what could be a stressful environment a fun and enjoyable place to work.