Session 8

Unit Three: Professional Parent Revisited
 

New Roles

Last session we heard from a panel of foster and adoptive parents about what the experience is like from their perspective. They talked about the joys and challenges of foster or adoptive parenting and the changes it has made in their lives.

Remember the elements of what it means to be a professional parent.

The professional parent:

• Puts the needs of the child first.
• Acts as an advocate for the child.
• Exchanges feedback with their partner and other professionals.
• Actively works with birth family to mentor and support.
• Assists with transitions to birth homes, to adoption, and to other foster homes.
• Is consciously and continuously seeking to build their knowledge and skills.
• Is in touch with their own feelings and how they affect their parenting activities.
• Helps assess the child’s needs.
• Documents their professional activities.
• Adheres to Federal and State laws and regulations.
• Is an equal member of the team.

The foster parent acts as:

Permanency Facilitator: Helping achieve the permanency plan—which might be reunification, guardianship, or adoption; and helping foster children visit their birth parents.

Birth Parent Supporter: Getting to know birth parents and empathizing with their struggles; modeling positive parenting skills; and communicating with birth parents about the child’s day-to-day life.