We understand that circumstances surrounding a child’s placement into foster care are almost always complex and that many birth families have their own histories and backgrounds with trauma and adversity. As such, we strive to uphold a sensitive and trauma-informed approach to our work with birth families. We strive to walk alongside families during their journey through the child welfare system by assisting them in identifying and accessing needed services and supports, engaging them in their children’s clinical services and various other appointments, providing supportive and frequent visitation practices, and honoring their culture and perspectives.
ASCF views birth families as the experts regarding their children. From the moment a child is placed at ASCF, foster parents reach out to his or her birth family to establish open, healthy communications. We ask birth families to team with our providers and foster parents to provide us with critical information about their children’s past experiences, likes, dislikes, routines, and rituals so that we can best understand their needs, create psychological safety, and prevent re-traumatization. Our clinicians work hard to promote birth parent voice and choice in the care of their children. We support birth families in communicating with their children often and attending their children’s appointments so that they can maintain healthy connections and learn how to best support their children’s development and growth.
At ASCF, we believe that one of the most powerful ways we can help children heal from trauma is through providing them with safe, stable, supportive adult-child interactions. Our staff and foster parents are committed to helping children achieve healthy, permanent living situations and maintaining a connection to their families and cultures. When indicated, we strive to provide birth families with increased opportunities for communication, connection, and visitation with their children.
ASCF staff are currently working with the iCARE Collaborative group on the development of a 9-week supportive visitation curriculum base on CARE. This curriculum will guide and support birth parents in developing and showing their children healthy, supportive patterns of interaction and managing emotions and behaviors during and outside of parent-child visitations.