Guardian vs. Foster Parents
A legal guardian can make decisions on behalf of the child, but the child maintains a legal connection with his or her birth parents. Guardians can be permanent, temporary, or limited. Guardians often are family members. The legal relationship established by a juvenile court guardianship ends when the child turns 18 and is considered an adult.
Foster Care provides temporary care for a child who can’t live with his or her own family. A child may have entered foster care for a number of reasons, including neglect, abuse, or a family crisis. Foster families receive funding from the State to help in the child’s care.
Spaulding for Children recruits and licenses foster parents. Services provided include placement, case management, home based visitation, information and referrals, support groups for both children and parents, and youth mentoring.
AdoptUSKids Leadership Program Seeks Applicants
Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program at AdoptUSKids is now accepting leadership program applications!
The Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program at AdoptUSKids is an eight-month fellowship designed for emerging leaders working in child welfare. It includes hands-on experience, exposure to national experts, and mentorship opportunities.
The program will begin with a three-day kick-off celebration in the Washington, D.C., area in January 2019. There is no fee to participate.
To learn more and to get an application, go to adoptuskids.org/mpld.
Applications are due by September 3, 2018.
Start the School Year Off Right For Your Student
- Set up a schedule for studying, sports and other extra circular activities – then, stick to it. It’s best to create a quiet study area for homework. The study space could be a certain chair at the dining room table where each night after meal time it gets cleared and becomes a study space. The important thing is the expectation is set that this is where and when we study. Soon it becomes more than a habit, it’s a special place for learning.
- Show your commitment to their school. If you don’t seem to care, why should they? Attend Parent Teacher conferences, Back to School Night, and concerts, plays and student performances. Not only will teachers notice who wants to help the student, the child sees school matters to you.
- Ask your student specific questions about their school life. Learn the names of their teacher and friends. Ask what they are like and how they are doing? These are the people who play very important roles in your child’s daily life.
- Protect bedtimes and limit screen times. A good night’s sleep is critical to your student’s health and ability to perform in school. Studies show that the ideal number of sleep hours are 10-11 hours per night for 7-12 year olds and 8-9 hours per night for students ages 12-18.
Keep abreast of yours student’s progress. It’s easy for them to fall behind. It is hard to catch up. Look at their assignments frequently (nightly, if possible) and grades (often online). Do not hesitate to reach out to school if you think your child needs extra attention, help with a class or test prep.
Understanding the World of a Child
A Profile of Ms. Nyiemah Twyman, BA
A specialist in adoption and foster care at Spaulding for Children, Nyiemah Twyman personally knows what life is like for the children on her caseload. When she was younger, Ms. Twyman had been in foster care.
That life experience helped drive Ms. Twyman to do all she can to help children in need of a loving family and a permanent home at Spaulding. She also serves today as a counselor at Vista Maria, where she helps adolescent girls develop the characteristics needed to overcome difficult circumstances. In both positions, she helps youngsters develop critical skills they will need as adults.
“For the older children, especially – those who may have been waiting what seems a long time for a home – it helps to know there are people who have gone through a similar thing.”
In her professional work, Ms. Twyman helps children who may be temporary wards of the court and children who may be permanently separated from their parents due to abuse or neglect. Ms. Twyman serves as a case manager and advocate, helping find what each child on her caseload needs from getting enrolled in school, to tutoring services, to counseling and guidance, and to medical and dental care.
Children in foster care or awaiting adoption may not see or understand the big picture. However, empathy, compassion and kindness are human characteristics that are developed through contact with caring adults.
“I do know what to look for in children and families,” Ms. Twyman said. “That is, I want to make sure children are safe, know they are loved, and have what they need to thrive in the home.”
Her professional goals include helping children on her caseload to understand that their lives, too can be what they want. The secret is helping them understand how their lives in the present will help make their dreams for the future come true. By helping children develop characteristics, including self-confidence and the commitment to school work, they are doing what they need to build a happy and successful life as adults.
“Stay in school,” Ms. Twyman said. “Believe in yourself. And recognize that others really want to help you.”
Ms. Twyman’s initial goal in attending college was to become a neo-natal nurse. Soon, she discovered a passion for psychology and criminal justice. She discovered how she could serve all three through social work. So, after graduating from Olivet College in 2011, she embarked on a career as a counselor, providing guidance to young people in danger of embarking on – or continuing on – the wrong path in life.
“One girl said to me she was ‘not pretty, like other girls,’” Ms. Twyman said. “I asked her to look in the mirror and tell me, what do you see? She said her hair is different. I wanted her to find something she liked, so I reminded her that her hair is just one part of her being, and that is, she is a beautiful person. She started to understand how she could find the positive in the other aspects of her appearance.”
“She also learned that to become the person you want to be is not just what you see on the outside. One can be the prettiest girl in school, but still have a terrible attitude towards others, an inner anger that doesn’t match appearance.”
“So, I helped her understand that the person you really are comes from inside you. The secret is helping her discover how she – and every other child – is a special person and is meant to be loved and treasured. From there, she discovered that she can counteract another person’s shortcoming through kindness and by giving of one’s inner self.”
“The young girl took these ideas to heart. Now she helps others understand how to endure doubts and misunderstandings by sharing her example.
In her career at Spaulding for Children, Ms. Twyman has witnessed the great impact one caring person can make on the life of a child.
“For those who adopt a child, please be very instrumental in your children’s lives,” Ms. Twyman said. “Teach them what they need to know. Pay attention to what they are doing. Don’t fret the smaller things, those which are not going to hurt them. And when your child says something is occurring, believe them.”
“Second, if you are not in a position to adopt, please be a foster parent if you are interested. You have a story to tell, so you can help a child. And don’t be afraid of teen-agers. They really are just big babies, who may not have gotten the love, attention and positive direction we all need.”
Ms. Twyman remembers. Every day now, she works to help others in her care discover the lesson.
Looking Back at 50 Years
In honor of our 50th Anniversary, we want to remember what makes Spaulding unique: Spaulding’s commitment to those children that were often left uncared for – including children with disabilities.
In 1978 Spaulding hired experts in the field of developmental disabilities and concentrated on adoption for this population. Spaulding then worked with the State Department of Mental Health to implement permanency planning for children with developmental disabilities found abandoned in that system.
Do You Know One of the Easiest Ways to Support Spaulding?
When you shop Amazon just go to smile.amazon.com and choose Spaulding for Children in Southfield, MI as your charity of choice. It’s easy. And it costs you nothing. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
Graduation for All Her Kids
June is Graduation month. Like all parents of new diplomates, Sonja Halton holds great pride as she watches another of “her kids” graduate from high school. What’s more, William, her adopted son, was the 13th foster child in her care to do so. That amazing feat is not easy to accomplish. Sonja’s kids have beaten the odds, as […]
