Yearly Archives: 2016

Now that you’ve decided to adopt, the next question is whether to adopt a child locally, domestically, or internationally. There are children everywhere that need homes, but there are a few benefits to adopting one (or several) from your local area through foster care adoption. The child can stay in his home area. With all the other changes going on in the child’s life, it’s very helpful to have have at least one area of continuity. If the child is able to stay in an area with familiar places and [...]

Foster parenting and foster adoption are noble undertakings. But they’re not for everyone. So how can you tell if you’re cut out for the task? The foster adoption agency in Shasta County will take you through an application process, but there are still a few more questions you should ask yourself before committing to it. Am I ready to help a child heal? Many foster children have gone through traumatic circumstances, such as abuse or neglect. They may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and exhibit extreme fears, attachment difficulties, aggressive [...]

The decision to foster adopt in Shasta County is a life-changing decision—both for the adoptive parents and the adoptive child. Getting through the adoption process can be challenging by itself, but then there are also ongoing adjustments that need to take place for a healthy and happy life together. Grieving Losses Foster children—especially older ones—may have developed attachments to birth parents, relatives, or previous caregivers. Because the foster care system keeps rehabilitation and reunification with birth families as the first plan of action, a foster child is only released for [...]

Perhaps you’ve heard the horror stories and statistics of foster children gone bad. But you may not have heard about the success stories. They do exist. Foster adoption does have it’s challenges, but it can be extremely successful. If you’ve been considering foster adoption in Redding, read these success stories of foster children who turned out well. Josh Shipp As a kid, Josh Shipp bounced from one foster home to another. He says, “I mastered the art of getting kicked out of foster homes.” Josh kept a notebook where he [...]

We see homeless people in Shasta County every day, but most people are unaware that many of them came out of the foster system, but never got a forever family. This is a reality nationwide. Homelessness is often a by-product from a lack in healthy family infrastructures. In 2014, California had 62,097 children in foster care. That’s almost 15 percent of the total number of children in foster care throughout the United States. Foster care adoption in Shasta County would make a huge difference in that number. Here’s why. The [...]

A foster child is defined as a child looked after temporarily or brought up by people other than his or her natural or adoptive parents. The most important word in that sentence is child. When you think about the current state of our country, it's easy to be overwhelmed because there are so many problems to solve. Feeding the hungry, helping the mentally ill and getting our citizens out of poverty are just a few issues that come to mind. Where does a person start to make our world a [...]

The practical requirements to foster adopt in Shasta County are mostly straightforward. You must be at least 21 years of age, must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States, must be physically able to care for a child, must have a stable and adequate income, must have reliable transportation, must have space in the house for the child, and must have a safe and sanitary home. While the last one--keeping a clean home--may be a kicker, these requirements are usually easier to determine and reach. Some other [...]