Home

Articles - Foster Care

'Camp To Belong' wants to reunite siblings in foster care system

Submitted by Jeff on Fri, 04/08/2011 - 5:08am
in

Camp To Belong (CTB) has been dedicated to reuniting siblings placed in separate foster, adoptive or kinship homes, through summer camp programs and year round events for the past 16 years.


Iowa should include both moms on birth certificate

Submitted by Jeff on Mon, 03/07/2011 - 7:09am
in

Heather Martin Gartner (39) and Melissa McCoy Gartner (40) of Des Moines are suing to have both their names included on their child's birth certificate. The couple said they believed that since they were married, both their names would be listed on the child's birth certificate.

Heather's given birth to two children via anonymous donor during the relationship. The Gartners did not adopt their most recent child, because they legally married in Polk County three months before the girl's birth.


First same-sex couple to adopt in New South Wales are great dads

Submitted by Jeff on Wed, 12/15/2010 - 2:11pm
in

Foster parents - affectionately called ''Dad'' and ''Papa'' - have become the first same-sex couple in NSW to adopt. A Supreme Court judge, George Palmer, last week made orders for the adoption of William, 9, and Jane, 5, by their foster parents, Mr Smith and Mr Jones (the family has been given pseudonyms).


Camp helps foster siblings reunite

Submitted by Jeff on Tue, 11/02/2010 - 8:41am
in

Camp To Belong had another successful summer of bringing together siblings separated via the foster care system. To date, Camp To Belong has united more than 3,500 brothers and sisters during their 16 years of existence. Currently, over 500,000 youth are in foster care, 75 percent of which have been separated from at least one sibling.


Hundreds of thousands of homeless gay youth

Submitted by Jeff on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 6:27am
in

The Indypendent sheds light on a horrible situation happening across the United States.

Thousands of kids are kicked out of their homes each year for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Some cases include homophobic parents. In other situations, kids run away in fear of retribution - or as a result of ridicule.

They have nowhere to go. And the problem grows worse as American youth are “coming out” at increasingly early ages.


Foster parents offer children a new home and way of life

Submitted by Jeff on Mon, 09/21/2009 - 3:39pm
in

The San Jose Mercury News reports on The Roots and Wings Foundation, a national initiative dedicated to promoting the importance of foster care


Woman helps struggling youth: Uses retirement savings to buy home, and makes a refuge for kids

Submitted by Community Editor on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 3:54pm
in

Her goal was to help lesbian girls in foster care and provide a safe place to nurture them. In the past nine years, Mary Keane has helped 18 children and young adults (gay, lesbian and straight). Kids who were not doing well in foster homes, group homes or treatment centers have been offered a calm consistent home in Yonkers, New York.


Steps to foster care for gays and lesbians

Submitted by Community Editor on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 12:52pm
in

Our friends at eHow.com offer general steps to help guide gays and lesbians to fostering.

1. Identify the foster home division in your county welfare department and obtain a listing of agencies that license foster homes. Both state-operated and private agencies exist.
2. Consult a local gay or lesbian organization to help identify which agencies are willing to accommodate your specific situation.
3. Investigate an agency thoroughly before making your selection.


Florida foster agency recruits and trains parents to care for lesbian and gay children. Many kids face terrible consequences.

Submitted by Community Editor on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 9:48am
in

The Miami Herald profiles a young man who found himself in the foster care system when he was about 13-years-old after his mother rejected him because he is gay. He experienced several dozen foster care facilities in which adults couldn't relate to him and other children could be brutal.

By the time the boy found a gay foster parent in Fort Lauderdale, he was a 17-year-old dropout addicted to drugs. He credits his foster father with turning his life around and taking him to Narcotics Anonymous.

Many gay foster teenagers never find a good home.


"Aging out" of foster care. Young adults are growing old without permanent families.

Submitted by Community Editor on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 7:40am
in

A new report has shed light on disturbing new data. Young adults are growing old in foster care. They are "aging out" of the system without permanent families.


Like Proud Parenting?

Support Our Advertisers