Q2 Connect Pillar Program Highlights

CONNECT PILLAR Program Highlights

We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support that allows Foster Village Charlotte to stay responsive to the needs of the children and families we serve.

We'd like to share some highlights of one of our three core pillars and the programs that coincide. In this report we are diving deeper into our connect pillar and what it looks like in action!

Villaging Well,

Foster Village Charlotte Staff & Board

45

Support Groups & Workshops Hosted in 2023

96

Individuals Attending Caregiver Support 2023 Programming

Miranda, Foster Parent

Having this space lets us really feel safe to process and share our experiences - it helps us continue to show up as the best foster parents we can be in the moment.

94

One-on-One Coaching and Therapy Sessions

CONNECT PILLAR

Increase the capacity of caregivers

as protective factors for children experiencing foster care.

FVC provides individual support for a family experiencing hardship while fostering to provide encouragement, guidance, or coaching. One on One sessions offer insight into behavioral strategies to try at home or simply a time for a foster parent to express their feelings and frustrations in a safe and private space with someone who gets it.

FVC also recently added clinical services to provide therapeutic sessions to help caregivers process the grief that can come along with transitions out of the home. These sessions allow caregivers to adjust to their new realities when children enter the home or when they will be in the home forever.

ONGOING SUPPORT

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT PROJECT SOOTHE

FVC provides a safe space to process fostering experiences as well as gain valuable tools that can directly support attachment and healthy emotional responses with the support of a licensed therapist. FVC uses a hybrid model of virtual and in-person meetings. When in-person support groups are held onsite, volunteers are present to provide childcare with a curriculum focused on increasing social-emotional skills of children and siblings of foster care that attend.

Meet Casey & Mel...

Summary

A couple who were getting ready to be first-time parents through foster care.

They were nervous about everything from how to set up their extra bedroom, how to manage complex behaviors, and how to maintain time. They jumped into our Village Bridge Program, a course specifically designed for new foster parents, which provided them a lifeline to FVC through mentorship and connection with our staff.

Having a foster child enter your home as a first-time parent can be an overwhelming experience - when a 3 & 5-year-old enters your home like Casey and Mel experienced, there is much catching up to do as a caregiver. You need to know everything about that child instantaneously - what foods they love (or hate), what song calms them down, what their favorite show to watch is, what size they wear, and whether or not they’re meeting developmental milestones. It's incredibly overwhelming for first-time foster parents to navigate this...

...and your quiet home of 2 may now be a lively home of 3, 4, or even 5.

Meet Casey & Mel...

Summary

They made it through their first few days.

Casey and Mel made it through those first few days - they requested a welcome pack, and the village showed up right away - helping to take one thing off their to-do list and reminding them that they were not alone. Our Caregiver Support Clinician, Hannah, sent a check-in email after they received their pack, recognized their names, and reached out via text message - building connection, belonging, and support for these new parents.

Hannah invited Casey and Mel to FVC's support group and insisted that if they got nothing from it, it would be an hour and a half with other adults, and the village would care for the kiddos safely.

Casey and Mel did get something out of it and continued to attend in-person support groups to be in a space with other foster parents who “get it.” They met foster parents who live close by them with similar cases...

...developing a community and a sense of normalcy in what can feel like extraordinary circumstances.

Meet Casey & Mel...

Summary

Casey and Mel's kiddos were reunified with their biological parents.

During a time of mixed emotions - joy for their first family AND profound grief for a foster parent who has spent months and sometimes years loving a child. We offered Casey and Mel our clinical therapy services to help them process their grief. They started a few weeks ago and can have a safe space to grieve and heal.

The nimbleness, flexibility, and innovation of Foster Village Charlotte are made possible by you.

Our ability to show up for families is made possible by you. You allow families to be seen, heard, and supported.

Thank you for allowing foster parents to be seen and to know they have a village of support behind us.

3 Ways to Support the Connect Pillar

1

FOR THE FIRST 2+ YEARS OF HER LIFE, WE HAD THE HONOR OF PARENTING OUR DAUGHTER BEFORE SHE REUNITED WITH HER BIOLOGICAL PARENTS THIS PAST APRIL. THROUGHOUT THIS TIME, FOSTER VILLAGE SUPPORTED AND ENCOURAGED OUR FAMILY (WHICH INCLUDES OUR DAUGHTER’S FAMILY ), AND WE ARE BEYOND GRATEFUL FOR THE CARE THEY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FOR US AND THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. FOR THE CHILDREN IN OUR HOMES.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER, CLICK HERE OR SCAN QR CODE

Claire, Charlotte Foster Parent

2

PROVIDE A ONE-TIME OR MONTHLY GIFT CLICK HERE OR SCAN QR CODE

3

HOST A PIZZA GIFT CARD DONATION DRIVE

Foster Village Charlotte provides pizza gift cards in welcome packs to support the transition of children into homes. During a time of chaos, it's nice to have dinner covered!