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Swimming weather is here and we have water safety tips and swimming lesson resources for you!
The Barger family reflects 11 years later shares what inspred them to open their hearts and home to children through adoption.
It’s that time of year where families are looking for fun + exciting activities and camps for summer break! Check out our Guide for Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties.
During the month of March, National Social Work Professionals Month is celebrated to recognize the contributions of social work professionals in our communities! In a time where so many people are struggling, the time is right for social work to help bridge the gaps to strengthen individuals and families. Thank you to all of our Social Work Professionals who continue to show up every day to solve social issues and improve individual lives!
My wife, Joy-Lynn and I became Foster Parent Mentors (FPM) through Heartland for Children in 2012. When we were approached with the opportunity to be an added support for incoming Foster Parents, we jumped at the opportunity because we saw the value in having someone who other Foster Parents could relate to as being an invaluable resource; especially, if the individual(s) were completely new to the fostering and/or parenting experience.
As FPMs through Heartland, we've had the chance to interact with incoming Foster Parents on many levels including assisting with respite, providing guidance or best practices with difficult behavioral issues, advocating for a child who had to be moved from one home to another, making recommendations on working with case management, providing another vantage point through the process of Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), and many other areas that Foster Parents can encounter during their first and continuing years of child advocates.
What we've gained as FPMs is a heightened level of understanding of how important it is to identify the needs of incoming Foster Parents. Being able to make recommendations on how the training component has and can continue to successfully equip incoming parents with the proper training and education; is a value add that Heartland has really welcomed input on.
Cebien Alty - HFC Foster Parent, Foster Parent Mentor