My husband, Paul and I were privileged to have our names drawn as the winners of a trip to the National Foster Care Conference this past June. As newly licensed foster parents, we were thrilled to have this opportunity to immerse ourselves in a time which we hoped would be educational, inspiring and renewing. We were not disappointed!
One of the things that most blessed us was the friendliness of the “veteran” conference attendees. All first time attendees wore a ribbon identifying us as such, and we found ourselves being greeted by a number of individuals who had been foster parents for 30 or more years. We were able to eat meals with a few of these couples, and enjoyed extra time visiting and hearing their stories and learning from them.
Each workshop we attended was helpful. The first workshop was on advocacy for foster youth. We heard painful stories from two foster parents who had both desired to adopt their foster children, and instead saw them sent out of state to relatives who had had no previous connection with them, and in one of the cases not even a biological relative. These foster parents have used the pain from their experiences to spur them on to fighting for other foster parents, educating foster parents, the courts, and even going to the White House on behalf of foster parents and children who don’t know how much of a voice they have, or how to use it most effectively. For instance, did you know foster parents have the right to be in each and every court hearing that involves their foster children? A lot of people, including judges, don’t yet realize that.
We also attended a workshop on autism taught by a mom who has a son with autism. Her story was both encouraging and helpful. Though her session wasn’t specifically on advocacy, the need for advocating for our special needs children came through strong.
Our next workshop was on the topic of the dangers of online technology. There was much alarming information shared. The speaker talked about how foster youth are a major target of online predators. The internet can be a very dangerous place for any child, but foster children are in particular danger. We were reminded of the upmost importance of taking strong precautions and having clear and safe boundaries for our children and youth. Most kids know more about technology than their parents, so it is essential that adults take the time, maybe even a class or two, to become more “techno-savvy”.
We were also able to take in a very informative workshop on taxes for foster families. We had a lot of our questions answered, and came away with some solid advice for next tax year. One thing we learned is that foster parents can claim their foster children as dependents if they have lived with them for at least six months and one day out of the year. However, if the biological parents file first and claim their children as dependents, the IRS will demand proof from you that the children were actually living in your home the majority of the year, which can be a lengthy process. Another reason to be prompt in filing your income taxes! (Please note PATH strongly recommends a thorough conversation with your personal tax preparer regarding foster youth and the laws and circumstances surrounding income taxes in these situations)
We are so thankful we had the opportunity to be a part of this conference. We came away with a renewed passion for what we do as foster parents and increased hope we are making a difference that will change children’s lives for the better both today and in their future.
No comments:
Post a Comment