National Foster Care Month

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National Foster Care Month

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May was first declared as National Foster Care Month in 1988. Since then, May has been a time to acknowledge the contributions of foster caregivers and the needs of children in foster care. In 2015, there were an estimated 427,910 children in foster care. A child can be removed from the home and placed in foster care for a variety of reasons including abuse or neglect, parent-child conflict, and the presence of serious physical or behavioral problems in the child that cannot be addressed in the home.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has compiled a list of helpful resources for birth parents, resource parents, (i.e. foster care, kinship care providers, and adoptive parents), youth, and child welfare and mental health professionals that address the needs of children and adolescents in foster care including mental health treatment, permanency planning, and the transition to independence for older foster care youth.

A list of external resources related to foster care is available here.

Refine Resource TypeBriefeLearning CourseFact SheetInfographicMobile AppNewsletterPodcastPosition StatementReportResource GuideSpecial ResourceTip SheetTraining CurriculumVideoWebinarWeb FeatureWebsite Trauma TypeBullyingNeglectCommunity ViolenceComplex TraumaDisastersEarly Childhood TraumaGeneralHistorical TraumaIntimate Partner ViolenceMedical TraumaNeglectPhysical AbuseRefugee TraumaRace-Based TraumaSchool ViolenceSeparationSexual AbuseTerrorism and ViolenceTraffickingTraumatic Grief LanguageAlbanianAmerican Sign LanguageArabicArmenianCongolese SwahiliCreoleCuebano (Filipino)DariEnglishFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHebrewHungarianItalianJapaneseKoreanKurmanjiMandarinNepaleseNorwegianPashtoPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSimplified ChineseSpanishTurkishUkrainianVietnameseWaray (Filipino) AudienceChild Welfare ProfessionalsFamilies and CaregiversHealthcare ProvidersJustice System ProfessionalsMedia ProfessionalsMental Health ProfessionalsPolicy MakersReligious ProfessionalsSchool PersonnelYouth OtherImplementationPolicy IssuesTraining NCTSN Resource Type: Training Curriculum

Supports caseworkers, supervisors, and all other levels of the child welfare workforce in implementing trauma-informed knowledge and skills in their daily interactions, professional services and organizational culture.  The third edition of the Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit (CWTTT) incorp

view NCTSN Resource Type: Training Curriculum

Is a centralized resource for providers and resource parents who are using or interested in using Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Workshop for Resource Parents in their communities.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Resource Guide

 

Provides external resources related to National Foster Care Month.

view NCTSN Resource Type: eLearning Course

Complements the Resource Parent Curriculum (RPC). This course is for resource families who are considering attending a RPC training to help them determine whether it would be worth their time to attend an entire workshop.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Highlights the importance for court-based advocates to understand the serious consequences that trauma histories can have for birth parents and the subsequent potential impact on their parenting.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Special Resource

Describes promising approaches to implementing trauma-informed child welfare practice to improve placement stability for children in foster care.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Highlights the importance of understanding the serious consequences that trauma histories can have for birth parents.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Highlights the importance of birth parents understanding the serious consequences their trauma histories can have on them and the subsequent potential impact on their parenting.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Provides guidance to judges and attorneys on how to recognize trauma and its effects on birth parents. This fact sheet helps judges and attorneys recognize the potential impact of trauma on parenting.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Provides suggestions that resource parents can use to recognize how trauma may have impacted the way birth parents parent.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Describes the complex trauma and mental health of children placed in foster care among NCTSN care recipients as well as policy recommendations.

view NCTSN Resource Type: Fact Sheet

Highlights the importance of understanding the serious consequences that trauma histories can have for birth parents and the subsequent potential impact on their parenting. This fact sheet is for child welfare workers.

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