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TRANSCRIPT:
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Welcome to the foster Friendly podcast,
where we come together
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to make a difference
in the lives of children in foster care
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and the families who care for them.
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Foster friendly communities are part
of a nationwide movement by America’s Kids
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Who Belong.
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That helps people
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from all walks of life take action
and help kids and families thrive.
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You’ll hear from former foster
youth, foster and adoptive parents,
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social workers, faith and business
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leaders, and other experts
on how to engage in meaningful ways.
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Our host Bryan, Travis and Courtney
explore inspiring stories of everyday
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people making a difference in foster care,
where they live and work.
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we’re excited about today’s guest.
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I’ve known her for a few years, and,
she’s she’s fantastic.
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today’s guest is Tina. Tina of.
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And Tina is America’s
Kids Belong social media manager.
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And, Tina is professional.
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Background is in education.
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She’s been a teacher that she joined,
AKB in 2019
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as a former foster youth intern.
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But, we asked her to stay on,
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pastor internship,
because of her experience in foster care.
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Gave her special insight
for us into recruitment for kids
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being filmed by our
I belong project, video program.
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So Tina has helped
AKB social media platform hit
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5 million and reach in recent months.
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And, it’s helped that social media
has been really influential in helping
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kids, with, having families be matched
to them for, placement, for adoption.
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So, Tina, Tina is married.
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she has, a little cute
son and lives in Texas.
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So, Tina, welcome.
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And, thanks for allowing me
to read that official bio of you.
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I would love to have something
a little bit more personal.
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Intimate. So share.
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Share with us a little bit.
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Just, today.
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Yeah. where are you today?
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tell us a little bit about yourself,
your family, and then,
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tell us a little bit more about your role
with America’s Kids Belong.
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Thank you.
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Brian, I’m excited to be here.
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so, like you
said, I’m currently in Texas.
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I am a remote working.
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Work from home, mom.
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so I work for a biscuit salon.
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when I’m not working,
I’m usually cleaning up or
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organizing whatever.
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so I’m.
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Oh. So you you said organizing, I like.
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So right away, it’s like,
that tells me something about yourself.
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That’s not how I would introduce myself.
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So what is?
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Well, you’re not very organized,
so I’m just.
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Or I. Yeah.
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I’m disorganized. So,
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so, like, tell us,
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like why why is that, something
that’s of value to you.
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And organizing is important for me
because it’s a way to cope with my life.
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I just I mean, it’s
been a way for me to just, like, process
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the things that I’ve been through.
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it’s also just a way to have control over
something.
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I love having to draw.
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Also, when you
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have a toddler,
you have to organize your day.
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Oh yeah.
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Tear through your life.
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it’s amazing
how disorganized toddlers are.
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I mean, they are not gifted
administrators.
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It’s, it’s like the top on a blender
at all times.
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Yes. Good description of a toddler.
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Thanks for the intro
and more about your bio
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and just yourself
personally living in Texas.
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So Tina, you were previously in the foster
care system and then later adopted.
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Tell us a little about that journey
and the backstory,
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sort of of what that was like.
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Yeah.
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So I entered foster care shortly
after I was born.
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I was born to a high school freshman,
so she was super young.
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and unfortunately, she was just
not in a healthy environment herself.
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So that really set her up for failure.
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and so, for after I was bored,
my brother was born.
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and so this high school, first person,
two kids, and she was a child herself.
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and just living in that unhealthy,
unsafe environment with us, just,
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you know, just
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set us up for failure in a way.
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all three of us.
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And so that’s when a child
Protective Services stepped in
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and all
three of us were put in foster care.
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my mother would provide one home
for almost
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not like us.
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and so, unfortunately,
my brother and I were put in a unhealthy,
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foster home
where we experienced base neglect.
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which I always say is like,
one of the most disorienting
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experiences in my life
is to be a safe space.
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and there’s a lot going on.
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And, you know, visitations with birth,
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just all the things that come
with being in foster care.
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and also being, like, two years old.
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so, so all that
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and, yeah,
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it just was extremely disorienting for me
when I was supposed to be safe, I wasn’t.
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and then after experiencing those
stressful things of seeing my birth mom,
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then going back to this home,
not having a space to, like, recuperate
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and heal from my trauma,
instead of having that compounded
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trauma and lack of,
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proper
nutrition as well, because we weren’t
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we weren’t fed food.
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So then take us through
so some horrible experiences
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of just far from even gaining stability
and working on healing
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you actually more trauma is out in foster
care on healthy foster homes.
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Is your experience
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trying to navigate through
that being young and then you’re adopted.
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So talk about the adoption
part of that story.
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Yeah.
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So we were
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lucky we were finally adopted.
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and we were adopted together,
which was honestly a miracle
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because we’re only half related.
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and we’re also a minority.
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So those two things just don’t stack
well against us in
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child welfare,
especially before the year 2000.
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everything was very different in Texas.
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and so we were adopted
and we were adopted
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into a healthy family,
which is such a gift.
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but not always guaranteed.
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sorry.
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So that’s all right.
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It was a it was a good environment.
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we were homeschooled.
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I got as a pastor.
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I mean,
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it was really the best environment
you could have asked for.
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but I so really struggled along,
emotionally, mentally and physically.
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I just it was hard.
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And I was a high school.
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High school was one of the hardest times
for me.
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but, yeah,
I mean, the hard comes with the healing.
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How old were you when you were adopted?
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I was four.
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And how old was your brother?
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He was three.
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So when, you guys were adopted
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and you went from a unhealthy and unsafe,
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neglectful foster home,
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and again, that is such a sad story.
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I just I’ve, I’ve.
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I have also seen foster homes
where I think,
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how can this
be better than where they came from?
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It was just, it’s so bad.
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but, when when you transition
to your adoptive family,
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did you feel, safe and secure?
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as a youth.
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And then did you,
then start struggling with,
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identity issues or something later,
as you grew up or how how’d that feel?
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Because the reason I bring it up is
I think so many people feel like,
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hey, once
they’re adopted, it’s all good, right?
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Yeah, that’s a good question.
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I think right off the bat,
I was extremely skeptical.
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I don’t want to trust my parents.
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I didn’t, accessibility.
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you know, being right, there’s no
guarantee that this is going to be better.
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And I had already been told that something
would be better, and then it wasn’t.
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Well, I was only four years old,
and I was like, you can’t treat me like
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I know. Not adults.
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All adults are safe.
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So I really struggled from day one.
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Being in my family,
I think I had better seasons.
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I especially just clashed with my mom
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because she was in that role of mom,
which is just a hard
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relationship with kids
who’ve been adopted, historically.
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So I think, you know,
that was that was a struggle for me.
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not necessarily because of who she was,
just because of her role in my life.
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and so, yeah,
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I mean, I do think that as I felt
more comfortable in my family,
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I would say more of my behaviors came out
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because that’s classic, you know, kids
who are comfortable, they’re going to
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they’re going to act.
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They’re yeah.
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They feel safe to be. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
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They did.
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They feel safe to
you know express the pain.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So I’m curious especially with
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your brother being adopted with you
and wanting
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to kind of highlight
that because that’s such a big deal
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that siblings often are not adopted
together.
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so as a four year old
that you were in a neglectful
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foster home,
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had you taken on as a four year old’s
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or sort of that mothering?
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thing.
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And like, have you grown out of it yet?
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You know a little brother.
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Yeah.
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That’s a good question.
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yes I would say
I definitely grew into that role.
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like my if you ask my brother about foster
care,
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he’ll say
the only thing he remembers is me.
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so, I guess that we grew into that role.
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I mean, we’re only a year and ten days
apart, but I was I was, my name was.
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And I was everyone.
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Yeah.
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Even a few years ago in therapy,
my therapist was like,
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who is your first name?
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Like, that’s how you see him. And it is.
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It is how I still see him.
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And he’s like, taller than me and bigger
than me and looks older than me,
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but I’m so.
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and even growing up,
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like my parents and my siblings understood
that our relationship was closer
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than anyone else in the family
because we had been each other’s family.
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Yeah, or we were adopted
and that had to be okay like that.
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It was just like we were a family before.
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I functioned as an oldest as well,
even in my adopted back.
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But there were times growing up
where my mom would come to me and say,
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okay, you know, I need your advice,
or could you ask him this?
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Or and sometimes it was like
being the third parent at times,
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because she knew that I knew him better
and that he trusted me better than her.
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And yes, you know, it was hard for her
at times as as his parent, but,
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you know, it was just like, oh,
this is just how it is.
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and even now, sometimes
not as much lately.
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But, you know,
even since being married, she,
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like whole, needs to be like,
I need your advice.
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Like, what do I do?
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So, yeah, the.
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I was gonna say to, like,
I had interviewed a family
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that had adopted,
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I think, a pretty large sibling group,
and they made the same point
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that, you know, well, for some people,
that does seem overwhelming.
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The thing people don’t realize as well,
though, is that the transition,
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because they’re already intact
as sort of a family like you described,
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can also ease the transition
into a new family,
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because they have each other and
they have their ways to relate together.
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In that transition, I thought that was
an interesting thing to think about.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, that’s so true.
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I’m sorry.
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That’s no excuse me.
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I’ve got a little bit of cough.
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so, I think,
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yeah, I want to highlight
there is a couple things.
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One is that, that family.
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So who are, fostering
or adopting siblings
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that they really, recognize and honor
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and and and in no way whatsoever feel,
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jealous of that more
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natural, deeper relationship
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because, I mean, they’ve been together,
this, this whole time.
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And, and so that’s something that I,
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it has if you,
if the parents recognize it.
00:13:04:06 – 00:13:04:14
Right.
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It’s a an incredible benefit,
to, helping these children
00:13:09:20 – 00:13:14:20
feel safe and healing that,
they’re not out there feeling all alone.
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So, Tina, with, your experience
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in foster care being negative
because you were placed with foster,
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a foster family
that was not, nurturing, not safe.
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why would
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you want to step back into this space
as an adult?
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And and, but
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what are you, wanting to say
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and into this time so that, presumably
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kids don’t have the experience you had?
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Yeah.
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I mean, that’s a really good question.
00:13:54:20 – 00:13:58:15
I began sharing my story
on social media.
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I don’t know, in 2017 and 2018.
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and that’s actually how H-e-b found me.
00:14:05:03 – 00:14:07:02
through social media.
00:14:07:02 – 00:14:09:15
and I was just,
you know, sharing my story.
00:14:09:15 – 00:14:12:23
And people started to relate to it
or find it
00:14:12:23 – 00:14:16:01
inspiring
or seek my advice about something.
00:14:16:14 – 00:14:19:14
and I really saw
that there was something.
00:14:19:17 – 00:14:21:09
There was something there.
00:14:21:09 – 00:14:26:00
and I think, you know, my main goal
in sharing my story and, and stepping
00:14:26:14 – 00:14:31:07
back into the foster care world
in this role as somebody who helps
00:14:31:16 – 00:14:35:01
create content for kids who are waiting
to be adopted from foster care,
00:14:35:15 – 00:14:39:22
is that, you know,
if I can help at least one kid, like,
00:14:40:11 – 00:14:44:20
not have the experiences that I did like
that would be life changing.
00:14:44:20 – 00:14:48:05
And whether that’s like through advocating
on my personal slack
00:14:49:01 – 00:14:54:00
platform or, like podcast or seminars
00:14:54:01 – 00:14:57:01
or I’ve been invited
to speak at conferences like,
00:14:57:04 – 00:15:01:15
you know, sharing my experiences
or if it’s through, like the work
00:15:01:20 – 00:15:06:09
I do on America’s Kids, one with like
creating that content about the kids
00:15:06:09 – 00:15:11:01
and showcasing who the kids are,
outside of their foster care experiences.
00:15:11:17 – 00:15:15:15
and then hopefully, you know,
healthy families will inquire about them.
00:15:16:00 – 00:15:18:00
that’s kind of how I see.
00:15:21:11 – 00:15:22:07
Yeah.
00:15:22:07 – 00:15:27:00
And you, you know, bring
such a crucial both experientially
00:15:27:02 – 00:15:28:19
but just your viewpoint, your,
00:15:28:19 – 00:15:32:13
your paradigm of seeing the world
through growing up in foster care.
00:15:32:13 – 00:15:35:23
And then to be a this organization
that is about recruiting
00:15:36:02 – 00:15:37:14
and supporting foster families
00:15:37:14 – 00:15:41:05
that you bring that sort of sometimes
against the grain of like, you know,
00:15:41:11 – 00:15:43:15
there can be so much rah
rah to the recruitment side,
00:15:43:15 – 00:15:46:15
but then you can kind of slow things down
sometimes and look at like,
00:15:46:19 – 00:15:48:12
hey, are we focused on this?
00:15:48:12 – 00:15:50:15
Or just be aware of the kids
perspective in this case?
00:15:50:15 – 00:15:54:00
So I know, you know, I work directly
with you in sort of the marketing.
00:15:54:00 – 00:15:56:05
And so we kind of can see that.
00:15:56:05 – 00:16:00:13
And then you can also learn to
from healthy foster parents that,
00:16:00:15 – 00:16:04:19
you know, do bring so much,
a place of stability and stuff like that.
00:16:04:19 – 00:16:06:16
So it’s really amazing.
00:16:06:16 – 00:16:08:05
Have your voice at America’s Kids.
00:16:09:17 – 00:16:10:07
Yeah.
00:16:10:07 – 00:16:13:11
I think if, if you could,
00:16:14:02 – 00:16:17:02
share a message to,
00:16:17:07 – 00:16:19:00
prospective foster parents
00:16:19:00 – 00:16:22:01
in and current ones and adoptive ones,
00:16:22:19 – 00:16:25:19
about,
00:16:27:09 – 00:16:31:02
being healthy parents
from the point of view of a child.
00:16:31:10 – 00:16:34:10
What advice would you give them?
00:16:34:18 – 00:16:35:04
Yeah.
00:16:35:04 – 00:16:37:12
I mean,
00:16:37:12 – 00:16:38:00
you know, I think
00:16:38:00 – 00:16:41:00
if you don’t take care of yourself,
like you can’t take care of your kids.
00:16:42:02 – 00:16:44:05
and if you’re any kind of parent,
00:16:44:05 – 00:16:47:06
or anyone who works with people,
honestly,
00:16:48:09 – 00:16:52:03
you know, especially if you’re,
you know, parenting kids
00:16:52:03 – 00:16:55:11
who they experience foster care
or that kind of trauma.
00:16:55:23 – 00:16:58:16
It’s exhausting.
00:16:58:16 – 00:17:01:11
and one of the reasons why I won’t do it,
00:17:01:11 – 00:17:04:05
but, you know, I’ll just.
00:17:04:05 – 00:17:06:12
I think it’s important
to take care of yourself as a parent.
00:17:06:12 – 00:17:10:06
And I think, you know, as
you take care of yourself as the parent,
00:17:10:06 – 00:17:14:03
whether that’s, you know,
saying no to placements, having breaks,
00:17:15:01 – 00:17:19:02
you know, asking your community to provide
respite care or meals
00:17:19:02 – 00:17:22:22
or mow your lawn and do your laundry,
those types of things.
00:17:22:22 – 00:17:26:01
you’re also modeling for your kids, like,
this is
00:17:26:14 – 00:17:27:23
this is what it means to regulate.
00:17:27:23 – 00:17:31:20
This is what it means to, you know, take
care of yourself when life is challenging.
00:17:32:13 – 00:17:35:05
which I think is so important.
00:17:36:11 – 00:17:37:11
I think about my time in
00:17:37:11 – 00:17:41:05
foster care,
how I wish I had had somebody who,
00:17:41:20 – 00:17:46:01
took care of themselves and understood.
00:17:46:14 – 00:17:49:14
You know, burnout leads to things
that would work.
00:17:50:08 – 00:17:51:20
and, you know, just
00:17:51:20 – 00:17:56:02
understanding this is an extremely
vulnerable time in my life.
00:17:56:02 – 00:18:01:14
And for kids who are in foster care,
and we need people who are,
00:18:02:09 – 00:18:05:12
you know, taking care of themselves
and not trying to do it on their own
00:18:05:19 – 00:18:10:01
or trying to do it,
you know, to impress others or whatever.
00:18:10:01 – 00:18:12:02
Like it’s not a competition.
00:18:12:02 – 00:18:15:06
you know, it’s our life
and it’s our crisis.
00:18:15:06 – 00:18:18:17
And, you know, there’s no shame and,
00:18:19:03 – 00:18:22:03
you know, fostering one kid, and
00:18:22:09 – 00:18:23:08
then that’s it.
00:18:23:08 – 00:18:24:19
Like, there’s no shame in that.
00:18:24:19 – 00:18:27:23
if you do it well, once, like,
that’s that’s amazing.
00:18:28:13 – 00:18:32:01
you know, the goal is not to say yes
the most amount of times.
00:18:32:09 – 00:18:33:19
the goal is to step.
00:18:33:19 – 00:18:35:12
Oh, that’s so good. Families.
00:18:35:12 – 00:18:37:01
Yeah, I love that.
00:18:37:01 – 00:18:39:02
Oh, gosh, that’s so good.
00:18:39:02 – 00:18:42:09
It’s better to do it
well once than to do it badly ten times.
00:18:42:18 – 00:18:44:15
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:44:15 – 00:18:47:16
And create more trauma that is not needed.
00:18:48:10 – 00:18:49:18
it’s such a good point.
00:18:49:18 – 00:18:51:12
I love, I love that sort of.
00:18:51:12 – 00:18:53:17
That is part of the platform
of your voice in us.
00:18:53:17 – 00:18:57:04
And, you know, just a reminder
that self-care isn’t selfish.
00:18:57:17 – 00:18:58:15
You know that idea?
00:18:58:15 – 00:19:01:14
Like,
there’s a preflight check on an airplane.
00:19:01:14 – 00:19:05:23
Like the first thing, they grab
your masks, grab your oxygen so that.
00:19:05:23 – 00:19:09:13
Then after that, I mean, it’s not helps
someone else first on their oxygen.
00:19:09:14 – 00:19:11:07
I mean,
you’ve got to take care of yourself.
00:19:11:07 – 00:19:13:23
We have to ourselves
first to be able to care for others.
00:19:15:15 – 00:19:17:15
So, Tina, I just heard just,
00:19:17:15 – 00:19:22:19
this kind of, a good news report for you,
and has to do with siblings.
00:19:23:03 – 00:19:26:03
So I was just in Georgia
a few days ago, and,
00:19:26:08 – 00:19:29:23
Rebecca, who runs Georgia down there?
00:19:29:23 – 00:19:30:17
And maybe you already know
00:19:30:17 – 00:19:35:06
this story, but,
there were three boys who were in three.
00:19:35:06 – 00:19:35:19
Foster.
00:19:35:19 – 00:19:38:19
separate foster
homes, hadn’t seen each other in months,
00:19:38:23 – 00:19:43:01
and they, were being recruited,
00:19:44:07 – 00:19:47:07
for adoption, to separate families.
00:19:47:19 – 00:19:52:07
But, fortunately, their caseworker
was still advocating for them to be,
00:19:52:07 – 00:19:53:23
together.
00:19:53:23 – 00:19:57:08
So during the
I belong project video shoot,
00:19:57:10 – 00:20:00:15
they were, filmed together.
00:20:00:15 – 00:20:05:13
And one of the things that came through
loud and clear by those boys was,
00:20:05:15 – 00:20:10:13
they wanted to be together
and, older, oldest brother,
00:20:10:20 – 00:20:13:13
you know, we they’re doing football stuff
00:20:13:13 – 00:20:16:16
and you can see the younger ones
really trying to emulate copy him.
00:20:17:02 – 00:20:20:02
you could see you could see the love.
00:20:20:13 – 00:20:23:04
And, after the video was,
00:20:23:04 – 00:20:27:06
filmed and produced,
it was in shown to some
00:20:27:06 – 00:20:30:17
some of the key people in child welfare,
and they changed their goal
00:20:31:04 – 00:20:36:13
to, have them be,
recruited for adopted together. So.
00:20:36:22 – 00:20:39:20
Wow. so, anyway,
00:20:39:20 – 00:20:42:21
Rebecca told that story, and it
I hadn’t heard it
00:20:42:21 – 00:20:47:04
before, and it,
and brought tears to my eyes.
00:20:47:05 – 00:20:52:15
So, So, Tina, understandably,
just from your own experience,
00:20:52:15 – 00:20:55:20
so close to your heart
that there’s a lot of people that even
00:20:55:20 – 00:20:59:16
in the realm of foster care,
don’t understand the significant,
00:21:00:00 – 00:21:05:05
sort of dire situation of sibling groups
that are being separated
00:21:05:05 – 00:21:09:04
just because of capacity issues
and states for foster homes.
00:21:09:04 – 00:21:12:04
I mean, that’s one
need for more foster families.
00:21:12:10 – 00:21:15:21
But then also, like even
how common is for, I guess, kids
00:21:15:21 – 00:21:19:22
that were in foster that get adopted
separately again just because,
00:21:20:11 – 00:21:23:02
you know, kind of so
so some of that’s like staggering.
00:21:23:02 – 00:21:27:20
So tell us more about like what you know
around even statistically or just kind of
00:21:28:05 – 00:21:32:00
you know, this issue of
of sibling separation within foster care.
00:21:34:03 – 00:21:34:11
Yeah.
00:21:34:11 – 00:21:37:04
I mean, it’s it’s so tragic.
00:21:37:04 – 00:21:42:19
you know, up to 75% of siblings who enter
foster care will not be placed together.
00:21:43:05 – 00:21:45:19
and that’s just placement.
00:21:45:19 – 00:21:48:05
I don’t believe that story about adoption.
00:21:48:05 – 00:21:50:05
you know, and I think you’re so right.
00:21:50:05 – 00:21:53:15
Like, I think one of the biggest issues
is capacity,
00:21:54:19 – 00:21:56:16
for foster homes.
00:21:56:16 – 00:21:59:09
the fact that these kids need
that to sleep
00:21:59:09 – 00:22:02:09
in is more important than their related.
00:22:02:23 – 00:22:05:16
and this was just something that happens.
00:22:05:16 – 00:22:07:03
Yeah. yeah.
00:22:07:03 – 00:22:10:12
But I think it, you know, I,
I have to wonder.
00:22:10:13 – 00:22:13:13
and I know that this is something that,
00:22:13:17 – 00:22:16:04
you know, can sometimes make people upset.
00:22:16:04 – 00:22:19:04
but I have to wonder if it’s also,
00:22:19:22 – 00:22:21:20
the fact that, like, foster care
00:22:21:20 – 00:22:24:20
is not often like,
picking and choosing kids.
00:22:25:02 – 00:22:28:19
like you’re who you’re stepping in the gap
for families in crisis.
00:22:28:19 – 00:22:33:07
sometimes that means, you know, taking
more kids than you expected or whatever.
00:22:33:16 – 00:22:36:12
and that’s in no way.
00:22:36:12 – 00:22:40:15
You know, I definitely do not want
people will like, hastily saying yes.
00:22:41:00 – 00:22:44:14
but I also want people to consider
that splitting siblings
00:22:44:14 – 00:22:48:15
up is extra trauma
and I think at times preventable trauma.
00:22:50:05 – 00:22:55:11
and,
but yeah, I mean, the, the impact is huge.
00:22:55:11 – 00:22:57:22
like we mentioned before, like,
00:22:57:22 – 00:23:02:05
if siblings can stay together,
and it’s a healthy relationship.
00:23:02:14 – 00:23:06:20
you know, it can really help them,
you know, transition
00:23:06:20 – 00:23:11:21
from removal and reunification or adoption
or whatever their plan is.
00:23:12:05 – 00:23:15:05
you know, they have that,
00:23:15:11 – 00:23:18:11
someone to relate with after visits.
00:23:18:15 – 00:23:22:20
you know, it’s also been seen
that they do better academically.
00:23:22:21 – 00:23:25:17
behaviorally, even health wise.
00:23:25:17 – 00:23:30:07
you know, the impact of the trauma
on their bodies and their brains can,
00:23:30:19 – 00:23:33:23
can be less because they have, you know,
00:23:35:01 – 00:23:38:01
a piece of their first family with them
the entire time.
00:23:38:10 – 00:23:40:03
yes.
00:23:40:03 – 00:23:45:08
There are instances where, it isn’t
the best for siblings to be together.
00:23:47:09 – 00:23:50:09
but I do believe that that is very, rare.
00:23:50:23 – 00:23:54:22
And, it doesn’t mean that
they can’t have a relationship.
00:23:55:11 – 00:23:58:22
you know, even if they’re not together,
doesn’t mean that they can’t,
00:23:59:04 – 00:24:00:20
you know, see each other
or talk on the phone
00:24:00:20 – 00:24:03:20
or send letters
or park visits or whatever.
00:24:04:16 – 00:24:07:04
So. Yeah.
00:24:07:04 – 00:24:09:15
That’s such a good point
to have even, like, I think, for foster
00:24:09:15 – 00:24:13:07
parents to know, like,
even if they can’t take on, say,
00:24:13:11 – 00:24:16:11
maybe they have part of a sibling group
that was separated.
00:24:16:14 – 00:24:20:07
But to try to be more assertive, even,
I guess with their child welfare workers
00:24:20:07 – 00:24:24:16
too, of how, how can they even connect
them even through zoom or letters or,
00:24:24:17 – 00:24:28:17
you know, I mean, just just ways
to kind of facilitate connection.
00:24:29:17 – 00:24:30:14
So, yeah.
00:24:30:14 – 00:24:33:03
Yeah.
00:24:33:03 – 00:24:35:08
Well, kind of
00:24:35:08 – 00:24:38:13
some of the themes in this episode of,
of talking about, you know,
00:24:38:19 – 00:24:42:18
needing support as foster parents and,
and then you know, how to thrive.
00:24:42:18 – 00:24:43:07
This kind of thing.
00:24:43:07 – 00:24:46:08
So America’s kids
belong has inner shownotes.
00:24:46:08 – 00:24:49:12
We’re going to have some links to
some really good resources that we have.
00:24:49:19 – 00:24:53:16
There was a webinar from last year that
we did on thriving for Foster Families.
00:24:53:16 – 00:24:57:12
So some experts weighed in on that
really helpful discussion around that.
00:24:57:19 – 00:25:01:03
And then we have another one on higher
level needs that really did talk
00:25:01:09 – 00:25:04:12
more in depth about sibling groups
and kind of, you know,
00:25:04:18 – 00:25:07:15
dealing with some of those issues
and being supported.
00:25:07:15 – 00:25:12:00
Of course, what America’s Kids
Belong is doing with, supporting foster
00:25:12:00 – 00:25:16:05
families, you know, the foster friendly
app themes with faith communities,
00:25:16:13 – 00:25:18:07
to wrap around foster families.
00:25:18:07 – 00:25:21:19
We have all an array of resources
and supports on our website.
00:25:21:19 – 00:25:24:21
We will link that that stuff
in the show notes for this episode.
00:25:26:03 – 00:25:27:21
But Tina, thank you so much,
00:25:27:21 – 00:25:31:20
for sharing your experiences
and your insights.
00:25:31:20 – 00:25:34:00
We love having you on the team.
00:25:34:00 – 00:25:36:07
such a great, person
00:25:36:07 – 00:25:41:20
to have, running the social media with,
your, your experience and point of view
00:25:41:20 – 00:25:44:21
and that you’re really prioritizing
health, your prior
00:25:44:21 – 00:25:47:21
to prioritizing the kids,
00:25:47:21 – 00:25:52:19
making sure that, families
are going in it to with motivations
00:25:52:23 – 00:25:55:19
that are, healthy, so, so
00:25:55:19 – 00:25:58:19
grateful love having you on the team.
00:25:59:00 – 00:26:00:13
Yeah,
00:26:00:13 – 00:26:02:03
indeed.
00:26:02:03 – 00:26:05:03
Well,
thanks for being on the podcast today.
00:26:05:03 – 00:26:06:23
We hope you enjoyed today’s episode.
00:26:06:23 – 00:26:10:08
If so, will you help us reach
more people by subscribing,
00:26:10:08 – 00:26:13:10
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00:26:14:03 – 00:26:15:22
If you’ve been inspired
by what you’ve heard today
00:26:15:22 – 00:26:19:03
and want to learn more of how you can make
a difference for kids in foster care
00:26:19:03 – 00:26:23:22
and the foster families where you live,
visit America’s Kids Belong, dawg.
00:26:24:11 – 00:26:27:11
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00:26:35:15 – 00:26:36:11
Thank you.
00:26:36:11 – 00:26:39:12
Together, we can ensure a family
for every child in foster care
00:26:39:17 – 00:26:43:07
and a foster friendly community
to ensure every foster family feels
00:26:43:07 – 00:26:44:12
love and supported.
