Dignified Transitions

At Family Works, we believe that every child deserves a caring home, and they deserve to arrive in that home with dignity. Sometimes life is out of our control.  For children in foster care, their lives may feel out of their control most of the time.

One such instance is during unexpected transitions, especially those that occur during crisis.

If a youth’s belongings need to be packed in a hurry it often results in a haphazard affair of grabbing personal items quickly and using whatever is available to pack these items.  The common fallback is a garbage bag.  As if the shock of being removed from their home or transitioning to a new foster home isn’t hard enough, consider for a minute the stigma of having your most important belongings dumped into a trash bag.

This has been described by foster youth as “making them feel very small”.  Another message that may be internalized from this action is that their belongings are trash.  How does this translate into a child’s feelings of their self-worth?   A child’s possessions, much as the child themselves, are valuable and have worth!

For those doing the packing, the hurtful effect is unintentional. They may be packing during a time of emotional distress, in a hurry and/or simply without the appropriate packing supplies.  Caseworkers who see this happen believe that working toward eliminating “garbage bag moves” is an essential step toward helping children in foster care build their sense of dignity and self-worth.  Family Works is committed to this goal.

One of the ways we try to reach this goal is by providing children with a large backpack or welcome duffle bag when they arrive in their foster home.  But, one duffle bag is never enough, especially after a long stay.  Our agency is especially grateful to partner with Together We Rise and Comfort Cases to receive donations of items that help promote dignity and hope to children in foster care.

Here are some other tips that our veteran foster parents have shared:

• Save shipping boxes or gather several large boxes from local stores – these can be broken down for easy storage and quick access.
• Keep a roll of packing tape on hand.
• Keep a small stack of plastic totes/lids in the storage room- you only need a few and can replenish as needed.
• Keep an eye out for gently used suitcases/duffle bags at yard sales or thrift stores.
• Let friends, relatives and neighbors know that you save these items, and they will likely keep you very well stocked with the essentials. If you end up with more than you have room to store other foster parents might welcome your surplus!

Written by: Katy Christian