Strong Parents, Strong Families

Our "Parent Led" Parent-2-Parent Support Groups are an invaluable asset to foster and adoptive parents as well as relative and non-relative caregivers. These groups provide a nurturing environment where parents and caregivers can be heard, understood and supported by other individuals with shared experiences. Unlike "agency lead" support groups, many parents and caregivers feel more at ease and open in expressing their emotions, fears or vocalize issues without the presence of an agency representative. "Parent led" support groups allow parents and caregivers the opportunity to be heard without fear of reproach or adverse outcome.

Our "Parent Led" Support Groups offer the opportunity to..

• Validate experiences and frustrations.

• Celebrate the joys and triumphs and share the disappointments and sorrows that are unique to being a foster or adoptive parent.

• Share resources, suggestions, and success stories.

• Identify and solve problems.

• Guide parents to a better understanding of the impact of foster care & adoption on the child, their own family and their community.

• Reduce feelings of isolation and self-doubt or guilt when problems arise.

In addition, "parent led" support groups play an integral role in the overall success of the child welfare system. By providing support to foster and adoptive parents, these parents are better equipped to handle the unique behavioral and emotional issues that foster and adoptive children sometimes have; as well as the stress of dealing with a myriad of case workers, therapists, child advocates, guardians, attorneys and more from the child welfare system. With proper peer support for parents the number of disruptions (children having to removed and placed elsewhere) is reduced both in foster and adoptive families because they have the tools and nurturing support of a group to support them. Ultimately support groups reduce the stress on the child welfare system and it's resources by providing therapy, resources, education and a venue to be heard.

"We need to stabilize the people who stabilize the child" said therapist James Mahoney, MSW. The more we support and empower parents and caregivers, the more stable our families will be and utlimately the more stable the children in their care, regardless of whether the end result is reunification with their biological parents or adopted out of the system.