Need for Foster Parents Continues; Virtual Course Can Prepare Individuals to Parent a Child

There continues to be a pressing need for foster families in Connecticut, particularly after the disruptions caused by the nearly two-year pandemic.  To respond to the ongoing need for foster parents, Connecticut community-based nonprofit provider Wheeler is hosting a virtual informational session to introduce a 10-week online course to individuals interested in fostering a child or youth.

Wheeler will be conducting a free one-hour informational session on January 27 via Zoom, in advance of a 10-week virtual, Trauma-Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanence – Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (TIPS-MAPP) course that will begin on February 7.

TIPS-MAPP is delivered by Wheeler’s team of specialists, social workers, and clinicians who work closely with foster families from the start and continue as supportive teammates throughout the fostering process. Officials point out that there is no obligation to become a foster parent while attending the course. The program is open to prospective parents from all walks of life. Participants can be married, single, or part of a domestic partnership. They can own or rent their homes. Parenting experience is a plus but not required.

The TIPS-MAPP program is described as “a journey where you will explore yourself, your family, your values, and your personal connection to children. It’s a place where you will learn more about the foster care system in Connecticut and gain insight into the roles, challenges, and experiences of social workers, foster parents, and most importantly, the hundreds of children and youth in Connecticut in need of loving homes and families.”

Wheeler’s Foster Care programs, funded by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, provide 24-hour support to families and youth. Wheeler’s programs provide a higher level of care and resources, including support to meet the needs of children and youth and help them heal from abuse, neglect, trauma, and more. 

“We believe very strongly that children do best in families,” Vanessa Dorantes, Commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Children and Families recently told public radio station WSHU, adding that “children are strongest and best when their families are supported.”  The state agency’s website points out that “parents who adopt children and provide foster care say it's the most fulfilling and important thing they've ever done. As a foster or adoptive parent, you'll have the chance to make a REAL difference -- to do something that will have lasting importance.”

Wheeler’s TIPS-MAPP course covers a range of topics, including an overview of children in foster care, behaviors, loss and grief, strengths and needs, what families can expect when fostering a child or children, and more.   In addition, participants will meet others who also are embarking on the foster care journey.  

There continue to be “children who need a place to rest their head at night – a permanent, sustainable place to be on a daily basis,” explained Sharon Pendleton-Ponzani, LCSW, Director of Foster Care Services, “a place where a child can get the love and the care and the stability they deserve so that they can go on with their lives in a way that’s meaningful and helpful to them.”

The need is evident all across the country.  Earlier this month, a foster parent recruiter in Indiana said bluntly, "We don't have to go to a third-world country to find children who don't have appropriate homes."

The TIPS-MAPP program can provide the tools that prospective foster parents need to proceed - it is a course is designed to prepare prospective foster parents for the role of fostering a child or youth, sharing various perspectives and experiences of those who have been involved with foster care.

“It’s very rewarding, but it’s not easy,” said foster parent Lynn Boyle.  “Raising a child in any situation is not easy.  But it has its rewards.  Absolutely.”  Of the Wheeler program, she added, “"It definitely helped me with situations that I’ve experienced already."

Matthew Mazzei, also a foster parent who has been through the program, explained “They really take you through the loss that the child goes through . . . it’s very eye-opening. There are so many kids out there that could use some help.” 

Pre-registration and an application process are required for the program, and the registration deadline is January 28, 2022.  The weekly classes start on Monday, February 7, 2022 and continue through April 11, 2022. For information about Wheeler Foster Care opportunities, call 860.793.7277, email Fostercareprograms@wheelerclinic.org or visit www.WheelerHealth.org/Foster