Episode 282: How to Serve When Your Home is Full (w/ Hanna Thrower)
What should I do if I have a heart for the foster care community, but I can’t open my home to foster right now? We hear this question often. Sometimes it comes from individuals who have fostered before and are simply in a season where they need to pause. Other times we hear it from people who don’t feel called to foster, but still have a deep passion to support vulnerable children and families. No matter which group you fall into, there are so many meaningful roles you can step into to make a difference. Today, we want to highlight one such role—and a foster parent who stepped into this role when her home was at capacity. We’re honored to introduce you to one of our TFI Advocates, Hanna Thrower. Hanna is a dedicated TFI Advocate serving Butler County, Alabama. Her heart for foster care began at a young age, and since then Hanna and her husband, Caleb, have fostered over 20 children, welcomed one adopted child into their family, and are raising three biological children. In this episode, Hanna shares about her foster care journey, how she got started as an Advocate and earned the trust of her local agency, advice she would give someone considering the role of a TFI Advocate, and much more. Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/hanna-thrower-282/
--------
34:50
--------
34:50
Episode 281: Behind the Scenes with an Agency Worker (w/ Abraham Choate)
It’s no secret that the child welfare system can be frustrating for children, their biological families, and foster families alike. More often than not, agency workers are the people who have to carry the brunt of this frustration. Yet, if we were to take a look behind the scenes, we would see individuals who care deeply about children and families and are doing their best to secure positive outcomes for the people they serve—but they are overworked, overwhelmed, and often trying to keep up with ever-changing policies. My guest for this conversation is deeply familiar with nearly every part of the child welfare system, from investigations and licensing to prevention and support. Abraham Choate has spent years serving children and families through the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families. He’s also a licensed social worker who provides counseling part-time. Abe’s story and perspective offer us a unique look into the realities of child welfare, helping us understand how we can better support and partner with our local workers. In this episode, Abraham shares some of the inner workings on the agency side of child welfare, the stressful environment agency workers are thrust into, the importance of everyone having healthy boundaries, and much more. Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/abraham-choate-281/
--------
31:47
--------
31:47
Episode 280: Working Together to Support and Redeem Families (w/ Norm Suire)
The child welfare system is far from perfect. However, numerous individuals, agency workers, and organizations like us are working faithfully to help support and uplift the children and families within that system. Our guest today knows this system intimately, as he has worked within it for over 40 years. Norm Suire worked first at Elgin Mental Health Center before transitioning to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). With a lifetime of experience in child welfare, Norm brings such wisdom and honesty about both the joys and challenges of this work. He is also a husband and father of three sons and a proud grandfather of five. In this episode, Norm shares practical advice for the day-to-day life of a foster parent, insights into how agency and social workers are required to operate within the system, an encouraging perspective to adopt as we work with children and families, and much more. Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/norm-suire-280/
--------
53:17
--------
53:17
Episode 279: Space in Our Hearts and in Our Homes (w/ Crystal Paine)
Foster care has a way of changing how we see the world. It asks us to step into hard places, stay present, and let God reshape our perspective. For our latest guest, that’s meant gaining a richer perspective on biological parents, a deeper appreciation for the beauty and challenges of caring for children with disabilities, and so much more. Crystal Paine and her husband have been foster parents to two precious children—one who was medically fragile and reunified with his biological mom, and one who was born premature with significant disabilities, whom they later adopted. Crystal is passionate about supporting biological parents, advocating for children with disabilities, and living out the Gospel through foster care and adoption. In this episode, Crystal shares about leaning on our faith when we’re facing challenges that can be intimidating, how we can be intentional about offering dignity and grace to biological parents, some of the unique aspects of fostering a child with disabilities, and much more. Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/crystal-paine-279/
--------
39:25
--------
39:25
Episode 278: Looking Back at Our Trauma to Move Forward (w/ Byron Kehler)
“When trauma is our teacher, we are ill-equipped to live healthy lives in healthy environments. What we learn, we live.” We know that trauma often accompanies children when they enter the child welfare system. Usually, we talk about the effects of trauma and how caregivers can respond with support. Today, we’re looking at trauma through the lens of personal history to understand how individuals can discover, address, and heal the trauma in their own stories. Joining us to offer insights on “Story-Informed Trauma Therapy” (SITT), the method he created, is Byron Kehler. Byron is a Trauma Therapist with a private practice in Portland, Oregon. He’s here to help us understand the stories that lie behind hard behaviors and explore how we can respond with compassion, wisdom, and hope. In this episode, you’ll hear how best to help children while keeping their stories in mind, the power of helping children who have endured trauma maintain a sense of control, why our pasts can have such a big influence on our patterns today, and much more. Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/byron-kehler-278/
We want to see people everywhere supporting the foster care community and experiencing Jesus together. So, in this podcast, we are sharing the stories of the foster care community to bring awareness that leads to action!
New Zealand