Our call to adoption started with when my mother fostered children while I was growing up. I never understand why she did it until 10 years later after I attended a foster parent training. It is not always easy, but we can no longer imagine our world any other way.

Debra is a 65-year-old female who has struggled with maintaining social and personal relationships. Her past is filled with traumatic physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from her family.

This school year has been unlike any other with all of the unexpected challenges and unknowns. It is normal for your child to feel unexpected increased anxiety about school. Here are five steps to help your child feel more confident and in control when heading back to school.

I currently live with my parents who haven't been taking the COVID-19 virus too seriously this past year and it has caused me lots of stress and worry. Now that they have been vaccinated, I’m afraid they are going to take it even less seriously. Over the past year, I have talked to them about my concerns and shared pertinent information with them regarding the virus but to no avail. I’m feeling very stressed and anxious for my own safety. Thank you. PS. I have generalized and social anxiety.

Johnnie* is only seven years old and from an even younger age, Johnnie had to take care of his younger siblings. He would protect them from the violence and drug use that was taking place in their home. After experiencing so much abuse and neglect, he learned early on that he could not trust adults to take care of him or act in his best interest.

Eventually after several drug use and domestic violence reports to authorities, Johnnie and his siblings were taken out of their home and placed into foster care. Although the foster home was a kind and caring place, Johnnie struggled. He didn’t understand how to be a kid after taking care of his siblings for so long. His behavior became destructive and he was removed from the foster home.

Nick first entered foster care at the age of three. He spent some time in a county-level foster care but he needed a higher level of care than they could provide.

I am pregnant, and the baby is due in June. We have a 3-year-old that is the center of our family’s universe and gets lots of attention. To put it frankly, she is quite spoiled with love and devotion by all, including her grandparents, aunts and uncles. I am worried the arrival of a new baby will affect her and wondering what I should do to prepare? We have not told her yet that the baby is coming. We are not trying to hide it from her, we just don’t think she will understand what it means.

Why is trauma-informed care important to you? Trauma has been shown to impact an individual’s brain development, subsequently altering emotional and cognitive development. In order to effectively engage with and treat clients who have experienced trauma of some kind, it’s important for us as providers to understand how trauma can change the way a person thinks, reacts, and operates.

I am looking for advice on how to handle my 15-year-old son who is on his phone or computer all the time. He is a good student, he has friends, and he is a great kid that doesn’t get into trouble, so I’m not worried about any one thing in particular. From what I see and what he says, he is online with his friends playing games and watching YouTube videos. It just seems like he should not be on his computer as much as he is, am I right?

It can be challenging for youth and caregivers when the time comes to transition into adulthood and independence. The Child Welfare Information Gateway outlines key areas families can focus on during this transition.