Host Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 children, 5 through adoption—one kinship and 4 international. Her youngest 2 are teens diagnosed with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). With over 30 years of parenting experience and 20 plus years as an adoptive and kinship parent, she’s made mountains of mistakes and learned loads of lessons. She understands the difficult road of parenting children with trauma histories—and she is still in the trenches! The Adoption & Foster Care Journey is a podcast to encourage, educate, and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care, and kinship care. We aim to support adoptive and foster families by sharing encouraging real-life stories and equipping them with modern-day research and parenting techniques.
Episodes
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Jason Weber, National Director of Foster Care Initiatives at Christian Alliance For Orphans (CAFO), states that two of the most common words associated with foster care in the U.S. are “not enough.”
- Not enough resources to meet all of the needs
- Not enough support for struggling biological, kinship, foster, and adoptive families
- Not enough families for kids who need them.
According to Weber, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are easily more than enough resources, support, and families in every community to solve the national foster care crisis.
Over the past two decades a foster care movement has emerged from faith communities across the country. Local foster care movement is made up of families (foster, kinship, adoptive, and biological) cared for by churches working collaboratively with each other and other community partners (government, placement agencies, bridge and service organizations, and local businesses).
Jason sites that if 10% of the churches in every county actively engage in foster care ministry by the end of 2025, there will be more than enough resources, support, and families—in fact we could see more families waiting for children than there are children waiting for families.
Host, Sandra Flach, recently sat down with Jason Weber to discuss his new book, Until There’s More Than Enough—Working Together to Transform Foster Care Where You Live. The book is an excellent resource for those who care about children in foster care and want to engage their church in the movement.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
www.morethanenoughtogether.org
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Monday Jun 22, 2020
Monday Jun 22, 2020
In recent months, because of Covid-19 and the resulting shut-down, two topics have organically risen to the surface of our Orphans No More podcast: the impact the national crisis is having on children (especially those with trauma histories) and the importance of self-care for parents and caregivers.
In addition to the trauma caused by the pandemic, information overload, the myth of multi-tasking, and the blurred lines between work and home responsibilities have many of us experiencing toxic levels of stress. As wounded healers, parents and caregivers must pay attention to our own mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. If we are going to help our children navigate through this season, we must rejuvenate and nourish our own souls.
Sandra Flach, host of our Orphans No More podcast, sat down with Amy Willmann, Director of Whole Hearted Soul Care to discuss why soul-care is vital and how we can enter into the shalom presence of God to find rest for our souls.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
Email Amy at Amy_Willmann@yahoo.com
On FaceBook @Whole Hearted Soul Care
Book: Every Breath We Take by Terry Wardle
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Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Karen Springs spent more than fourteen years living in Kyiv, Ukraine, advocating for orphaned and at-risk children. She hosted hundreds of families as they traveled to Ukraine to adopt. Through years of ministry and connecting with adoptive families, Karen had a front seat view of adoption at the beginning of a family’s journey. Down the road, as she began hearing from parents, months and even years after their adoptions, she discovered that adoption isn’t always a happily-ever-after adventure.
In an effort to gain a more thoughtful and educated approach to adoption advocacy, Karen embarked on a 14,200-mile road trip across the United States. She visited 63 families whom she had hosted in Ukraine to get their perspective on adoption—after their children came home. She asked questions and parents transparently shared their stories. The result is Karen’s book, Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror—Learning from Stories of Heartache and Hope.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
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Monday Jun 08, 2020
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Adults and children are experiencing higher levels of stress as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Loss of routine, separation from friends and extended family, and increased anxiety are having a devastating impact on all children, especially those with trauma histories.
This week, Sandra Flach, host of our Orphans No More podcast, sat down with Jayne Schooler—child development specialist, trainer, speaker, and author of Wounded Children, Healing Homes and Telling the Truth to Your Adopted Child. In Episode #224, Jayne shares how social distancing and extended distance learning can be more damaging to our children than the virus itself.
Jayne and Sandra also discuss how toxic stress in parents can spill over onto their children. It’s imperative for caregivers, especially in this high-stress season, to care for their own emotional health. Jayne references the book The Sacred Rest, by Saundra Dalton-Smith. While this book does not specifically focus on foster or adoptive parents, it details the seven areas of rest for recovery, renewal, and restoration every one of us needs at this time.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
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Monday Jun 01, 2020
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Adoptive and foster parents often struggle with their children’s difficult behaviors. Trauma caused by neglect, abandonment, abuse, and loss impact the brain development of our children which, in turn, can present in their daily lives as out-of-control behavior. Now, especially during these tumultuous days in which we live—from Covid19 and the resulting shutdown to escalating racial tensions kids and parents are experiencing stress and fear in greater capacity than ever before.
Host, Sandra Flach, recently sat down with adoptive mom, Melissa Corkum, to discuss how parents can both help their children and care for themselves as together we navigate this uncertain season. Melissa is a transracial adoptee and a transracial adoptive mom. She’s also an Empowered To Connect Parent Trainer and co-host of The Adoption Connection podcast.
On Episode #223, Sandra and Melissa discuss how current events can trigger our children and even cause them to regress back into behaviors once healed. They also talk about the importance of parental self-regulation and self-care to be able to more effectively meet the needs of their children.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
- Thecorkboardonline.com
- The Adoption Connection podcast
- Compassion Challenge
- On FaceBook @corkboardonline
- On Instagram @corkboardonline
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Monday May 25, 2020
Monday May 25, 2020
The Connected Child, authored by the late Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross, has been a life saver for multitudes of foster and adoptive families. Through Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Drs. Purvis and Cross have provided parenting tools unique to the challenges presented in parenting children with trauma backgrounds.
Dr. Purvis passed away in 2016 leaving a huge hole in the heart of the foster and adoptive community. But her legacy lives on in a new book about to be released in July 2020. The Connected Parent, co-authored by Purvis and adoptive mom and TBRI practitioner, Lisa Qualls, offers hope to every child, every parent, and every family.
Our own Sandra Flach sat down with Lisa Qualls for a conversation about her book. Listen in as Lisa, mom of twelve, shares her painful adoption journey and how Dr. Purvis’s TBRI methods changed her family.
Links to resources discussed in this episode:
The Adoption Connection podcast
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Monday May 04, 2020
Monday May 04, 2020
Monday Apr 27, 2020
Monday Apr 27, 2020