Family Hope Connection

Child Preparation

Child preparation helps children in the foster care system through the difficulties that can often become barriers for them in finding a permanent home. The five major goals of Child Preparation are to Give the Child a Voice (Identity), Honor the Child's Past (Loss), Answer the Child's Questions (Attachment), help them Make Connections (Relationships) and Look to the Future (Claiming/Safety). The child preparation process is designed to achieve them by tailoring the process to each child's unique needs.

How We Help

• We meet with child's worker, caregiver and anyone else involved in the child's case to develop a plan to prepare child for permanency.
• FHC staff is trained in play therapy and other techniques helpful in working with children and youth.
• We work with child on an individual basis in their home and see them at a minimum ten times.
• Each unit of Child Preparation is adaptable to the needs of the children and family. Child Preparation is child-centered and we at the Family Hope Connection believe in tailoring the service to the unique needs of every child.

Meet the People We Help

• Sam was a seven-year-old boy living with a foster family who ultimately hoped to adopt him. However, he started to demonstrate some troubling behaviors, like refusing to eat or do his homework. A Family Hope Connection Child Preparation worker used play therapy techniques to uncover the underlying issues behind his bad behavior and engaged him in a number of activities that honored the transition.
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• Three-year old Emily’s mother suffered from severe mental illness and was unable to properly provide for her daughter’s needs. Emily had an aunt and uncle who wanted to bring her into their home, but Children and Youth Services was reluctant to remove Emily from her mother’s care. As they moved through the adoption process, the family faced another crisis.
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*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.

Contact Information