Face of Foster Care - Meet Julia
Fourteen-year-old Julia lives in a group home due to the unexpected death of her only caregiver: her grandmother. Julia recalls her fondest memories as those spent in the kitchen with her grandmother, inventing new recipes and baking cakes and cookies.
She keeps a special treasure chest of recipes as a remembrance and deeply misses her culinary adventures. Her only desire involves attending an after-school cooking program for teens.
Creating Normalcy
One of the primary objectives for a foster parent and a social service agency involves creating a sense of normalcy. Most kids enter foster care under abnormal circumstances; so, steering away from the abuse, neglect, and abandonment and towards regular, healthy interactions is fundamental. This form of child care improves the mental health of the foster child and the foster family.
For foster children, normalcy means participating in activities that build a skill set for independent living. This normalcy could mean something as simple as music lessons, martial arts training, or, as in Julia’s case, cooking classes.
Many foster children and youth haven’t experienced normalcy in a long time, causing developmental delays and potential maladjustment. Promoting child welfare through volunteerism and funding related to normalcy increases the likelihood of success after aging out of foster care.
Funding Normalcy
Speak Up for Kids helps provide normalcy for kids in the foster care system by supporting the efforts of guardians ad litem. The love and support of guardians ad litem often represent the only normalcy experienced by children in foster care.
