Foster Parent Resources

Today we were informed about some great resources for foster parents; a book titled The Foster Parenting Toolbox.  The handbook, which is edited by Kim Phagan-Hansel of Fostering Families today Magazine, contains contributions from professionals in the field and foster parents. All who have come together to write about an assortment of topics about foster care.

It is currently for sale on Amazon. There is also a passage; "The Jigsaw Puzzle Child" available for PDF download on their site.

The passage, written by Eileen Mayers Pasztor, DSW, talks about the 10 developmental stages of children and how those stages relate to children in foster care. She gives personal examples from her time as a social worker and as a foster parent. Her main tool in describing the developmental stages in children is called the Jigsaw Puzzle tool. It is used to analyze the differences in development between children who are fortunate enough to experience a good family environment and her son, who was placed in foster care and eventually adopted by her and her husband.  She then goes on to describe the consequences of children whose Jigsaw Puzzle doesn't fit together and how foster parents can utilize this tool to help them with their parenting and understanding of their children.