Support For You

Foster Care Resources

Lousiana Fosters

Louisiana Fosters is a statewide campaign focused on Louisiana’s children sponsored by First Lady Donna Edwards to link government, faith, non-profit, business and community to create united support for our state’s foster care system. Foster care is a noble service, and those called to foster offer love and non-judgmental care to children who desperately need our support.

For a full list of other foster care related organizations, please visit the Louisiana Fosters website.

 

We are a Proud Partner of Louisiana Fosters.

TBRI® Fridays

In partnership with Crossroads NOLA, we are helping to host TBRI® Fridays in the Acadiana region. TBRI® Fridays is a statewide strategy designed to elevate the level of care children across Louisiana receive by providing regular, consistent TBRI® training to DCFS, foster parents, service providers, and community partners. Child Welfare System Involved Parents (Foster, Birth, Adoptive) and DCFS Employees may attend for free, but are still asked to register.

Trust-Based Relational Intervention® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® was developed by the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KP-ICD) to educate and equip caregivers with knowledge and skills that empower them to provide healing care for a child who has experienced trauma. Visit KP-ICD to learn more.

Books and Group Studies

The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis Ph.D., David R. Cross, Ph.D., and Wendy Lyons Sunshine

The Connected Child has helped countless adoptive and foster parents better connect with their children as they seek to love and care for them in a way that honors God. Welcoming these children into your family and addressing their special needs requires care, consideration, and compassion.

Written by two research psychologists specializing in adoption and attachment, The Connected Child will help you:

      • Build bonds of affection and trust with your adopted child
      • Effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders
      • Discipline your child with love without making him or her feel threatened

Created To Connect: A Christian’s Guide to The Connected Child by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael & Amy Monroe

Created To Connect: A Christian’s Guide to The Connected Child was created to help illuminate the biblical principles that serve as the foundation for the philosophy and interventions detailed in Dr. Purvis’ book, The Connected Child. This study guide is designed to help adoptive and foster parents better understand how to build strong and lasting connections with their children, and is ideal for use in small groups as well as by individuals or couples.

The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling book Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson demystify the meltdowns and aggravation, explaining the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids can seem-and feel-so out of control. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth.

No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

The pioneering experts behind the bestselling The Whole-Brain Child now explore the ultimate child-raising challenge: discipline. Highlighting the fascinating link between a child’s neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior, No-Drama Discipline provides an effective, compassionate road map for dealing with tantrums, tensions, and tears without causing a scene. Defining the true meaning of the word (to instruct, not to shout or reprimand), the authors explain how to reach your child, redirect emotions, and turn a meltdown into an opportunity for growth. By doing so, the cycle of negative behavior (and punishment) is essentially brought to a halt, as problem solving becomes a win/win situation.

Reframing Foster Care by Jason Johnson

This book is for foster parents. Foster parents face a unique set of circumstances and experience a wide array of emotions that few can relate to. Their journey is one of equal parts beauty and brokenness, joy and heartache, excitement and exhaustion. There is no textbook on how to be a foster parent, no formula, no simple three-step guide. But there is hope…in God’s capacity to bring great beauty out of tragic brokenness. This is the gospel — the lens through which you can filter your foster parenting journey and ultimately find the strength, motivation and courage you need to be sustained along the way. ReFraming Foster Care is a collection of reflections on the foster parenting journey designed to help you do just that — find hope — and remind you that your work is worth it and you are not alone.

Everyone Can Do Something by Jason Johnson

This book is for ministry leaders. When it comes to serving the orphaned and vulnerable, this can be the mantra of your church and the foundation of the foster care, adoption and orphan care ministry you establish — everyone can do something! That’s what this book is about…Your church has the ability to make a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families. The questions are not can you or should you, but how can you and what does that need to look like? Everyone Can Do Something is a strategic field-guide specifically designed to help your church rally around caring for the orphaned and vulnerable.

All In Orphan Care by Jason Johnson

This book is for small groups. A six-session study guide designed to prepare and equip those who are exploring the call to foster care, adoption or some aspect of supporting families.

Wounded Children, Healing Homes by Jayne Schooler, Betsy Keefer Smalley, LSW, and Timothy Callahan, PsyD

Why doesn’t our child return our love? What are we failing to understand? What are we failing to do? These questions can fill the minds of adoptive parents caring for wounded, traumatized children. Families often enter into this experience with high expectations for their child and for themselves but are broadsided by shattered assumptions. This book addresses the reality of those unmet expectations and offers validation and solutions for the challenges of parenting deeply traumatized and emotionally disturbed children.

 

Blogs and Podcasts

A website to encourage and support you – no matter where you are in your journey towards caring for the most vulnerable and marginalized around you.

One mom’s light-hearted musings and heavier broodings on foster care, gospel-centered parenting, and mission-focused family.

Rage Against the Minivan explores transracial adoption, race, politics, faith, motherhood, international adoption, foster care adoption, and identity.

Adoption, foster care, and advocacy were not part of Jami’s dreams for her life, but God changed her heart when He made her aware, and she is passionate about helping others become aware too! She and her husband Clint are parents to their seven children (five through adoption). In 2011, Jami founded The Forgotten Initiative and serves as its Executive Director. She loves being with you here in this space and feels it’s a great honor to get to sit in the interviewer’s seat.