Open to all Adoptive, Foster and Kinship Families in the Area
The Coalition’s newest Parent Support Group is off to a great start. With two successful meetings under their belt, adoptive, foster and kinship families in Delaware and Otsego counties have a new resource for support.
The initial kickoff meeting was held on September 22 with a second parent support group meeting on October 20. The group plans to meet every third Saturday in Oneonta (except for November). The First United Methodist Church in Oneonta has graciously agreed to house the regular meetings from 3 to 5 PM. Childcare with crafts and games are available for parents who need it and refreshments are always served.
Topics discussed at the meetings have included legal rights of foster parents, navigating relationships with birth families, trauma and resiliency and how to advocate for your child at school. The new parent group gathering in Oneonta supports adoptive, foster and kinship families in Delaware county as part of AGAPE Hudson Valley. Otsego county families and others from surrounding counties are invited to attend.
Upcoming Circle of Trauma Training in November
The upcoming November meeting, set for the 3rd, will be in Delhi as the group participates in the Circle of Trauma training hosted by the Coalition.
The Circle of Trauma training walks participants through trauma, what it is, how it impacts the brain, how our children’s trauma impacts us and what we can do. We will also use the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaire to discuss trauma, blocked care, blocked trust and how to build resiliency in children and parents. The hope is that this program will be helpful for parents who are having parenting challenges and enable them to increase their emotional connection with their children. This workshop can be used as a precursor to the Reframing Parenting training offered by the Coalition. Designed for those parenting children who have relationship difficulties, especially children who have experienced attachment problems, trauma, loss and/or separation early in life, any families in the area interested in the training are invited to attend. As with all the Delaware Otsego meetings, childcare and light refreshments are provided with the training. In addition, certificates verifying training hours will be available for foster parents.
The December meeting will be back in Oneonta on the 15th and future meeting dates for 2019 will be determined by the end of the year.
To RSVP for any of the upcoming meetings, please use the form found here. Information about upcoming meetings can also be found on the Coalition’s statewide event calendar or off our Facebook page.