Project Description

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Time: 9:00 pm-1:00 pm
Location: Cowles Auditorium/Hubert Humphrey Center, University of Minnesota/West Bank Campus
View the “Save the Date” for more information

Event Overview

Coordinating productive family visits that are safe AND relationship building is complicated. Family Alternatives, a private foster care agency will present their research and best practice findings after a two year pilot project on family visiting. Through qualitative interviews in two Minnesota counties, this unique project captured the voices of children in foster care, birth parents, foster parents and social workers. Key elements of helping families maintain and strengthen their relationships while living apart were explored and an interactive family visiting guide was developed based on the information gathered.

Presenters

Heidi Brinig

Program Director at Families Together, Providence, Rhode Island

Wendy Negaard & Ande Nesmith, PhD

Familyconnect Pilot Project Coordinator; and Senior Researcher, Chapin Hall Center for Children, University of Chicago

 Familyconnect Guides order form Foster care visitation literature review Sample foster care young kids guide Sample foster care parents guide Sample foster care teen guide

Panel Discussion

Facilitated by Deena McMahon, LICSW—Birth parents, foster parents and youth in foster care shared their experiences with family visits and what helped them maintain healthy family connections while living apart.

This forum was developed under the auspices of: Federal Title IV-E Funding, Minnesota Department of Human Services (Contract #439481), The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the School of Social Work in the College of Education and Human Development.