To BLog or Not To Blog!

I have real trouble with the computer technology of today. We finally got high speed Internet, which I thought would make it easier to keep up on things like blogging. But now everybody is doing twittering, whatever that is. And everyone has FaceBook pages where they talk back and forth. I don't know how to do any of that, I am just learning about blogging. Days go by quickly and I realize it has been months, not weeks, since my last blog. I will try to do better.

Being involved with a non-profit organization about foster care and adoption is quite a challenge. We are a totally volunteer staff. Most of us have other jobs, plus children, families and other resopnsibilities. It is hard to keep up with all of that. Yet we are committed to working with the child welfare system to ensure that children and families are kept safe.

At the Kansas Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, we want to be sure that the foster, adoptive and kinship families involved in the Kansas child welfare system are included in decisions about children and families. We work hard to be involved with the state's activities in this area. Our state is not as large as some, but even divided into five regions, it's still a lot of territory to cover. We have five regional vice presidents, and the vice president for Region 4 is especially challenged to cover the entire western half of the state.

We are constantly working to increased our membership, to be sure that we have families involved from all the different regions of our state. That is important because we have learned that the issues in Kansas City are very different indeed from the issues in places like Colby, Garden City, Liberal, and even the little community of Canton where I live.

Familes ask frequently "What can KFAPA do for me?" Really, the question should be "What can I do to help KFAPA?" This association represents the foster, adoptive and kinship families of the state. We work with the executive levels of agencies like SRS and KDHE, that make the policies that govern the child welfare system. Those agencies ask our association for input whenever they want input from "the families". KFAPA then contacts our members, asking for their input, and relaying that input back to the agencies. I have heard people say "They don't really want to know, they are just asking to look good."

For the past two years, I have sat in on meetings with these agencies, reviewing policies and licensing standards etc. I can assure you that they aren't just asking to look good. The input that the agencies receive is carefully weighed and considered. We've all heard the old saying "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". It is true. We hear often that we should contact our congressmen about issues, because the more people they hear from, the more consideration is given to the vote. It is true there and it is true here.

How can you make a difference? I am making a difference (or trying to) by being involved with KFAPA and serving on the board. We want families to contact us, both when there is an issue of concern and when there is something going right. Most of the committees that we have require very little time and effort. Most of the work can be done by emails and phone calls, rather than in person. In today's technologically advanced age, it is so simple to participate.

Look us up at KFAPA.org. Contact us. Join. Let's all work together for the children and families of Kansas.

IHow I Spent My Summer?

Yesterday we got high speed Internet installed at our house via satellite. We had been using dial-up. WOW, what a change! I have not been able to do this blog thing from home, had to use my employer's computer (which she gav mer permission to do). So now I guess there is no excuse not to blog. Except now everybody is talking about this Twitter, and I haven't even figured out blog yet. Technology is sure moving fast, or perhaps we are just moving slower as we get older. This is a high point of our summer.

Most of this summer has been occupied by the planning and successful completion of the KFAPA first conference. Event planning is something I always thought of as fun - coordinating weddings, picnics, etc. No comparison to doing a major conference. It came together through the efforts of all the agencies and speakers and helpers and volunteers, and although I was one of the skeptical ones, it actually went very very well. Our website, kfapa.org, and our quarterly newsletter will tell you all about it.

As I learn more about how to manipulate my way around the computer and the Internet, there may be pictures I can send, now that it doesn't take 15 minutes and several games of Free Cell to send one file!

Summer is such a great family time, and I hope each of you has set aside even one day to just go do something fun with your family.

Mother's Day

May 10, 2009 is Mother's Day. The Joy Of Being A Mother. Some times these are few and far between, and sometimes they are every time you turn around. It doesn't really matter whether it is your own biological child, or someone else's child, children hold our hearts. They give our hearts wings to fly. Parenting is a 24/7 job, and it does not come naturally to all people. Parenting is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Parenting someone else's children is even more of a challenge. Yet thousands of families in this country step up and take on that responsibility willingly, lovingly and with open arms.

What is a mother? She is a cook, a baker, a seamstress, a laundress, a chauffeur, a nurse, a counselor, a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a role model, and most importantly, someone who can give a great hug just when you need it and wipe away your tears. Sometimes moms can be really mean. They always say no when you want the answer to be yes. Then later on, we figure out that the answer really should have been no. Only moms know best!

How many mothers can one person have? As many as it takes. I have many mothers. First is my biological mother. Then there is my mother-in-law. Then there is the mother of my best friend, who is my "second mother". Then I have grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts who are like mothers to me, and on and on.

So hats off to all moms. Please remember all of your moms on this Mother's Day, and remember that moms like hugs too.

Conference Planning

Conference planning is quite an educational experience. We have learned so much about all the aspects of hosting a conference: food costs, exhibit tables, brochures, publicity, speakers, fees, registration, CEUs, and on and on. Our committee, made up of people from a variety of agencies, has worked very hard. There are a few who thankfully have had some previous experience with conference planning who have guided us along the way. Next year should be so much easier! What we have learned is that providing a truly "no fee" conference is impossible. We have struggled with providing a quality conference yet looking at all the ways we can keep costs down. Things like using stick on name tags for registrants. The nice clip on name tags are great, but very expensive. And they just get thrown away at the end. It's very helpful having such a variety of people and organizations involved. Teamwork is always good. Individuals may not always agree with the team decision, but the team decision is based on the input and experiences of all the team members and should be respected. We are all very excited about this conference, hosted by KFAPA and KFAN (Kansas Family Advisory Network). Check our website, kfapa.org, for conference specifics and updates.

Today's Economic Pressures

I hear that tonight President Obama will be addressing the nation on television. It seems that the news has been overwhelmingly focused on the economic crisis. Television and radio ads are saying "in today's troubled times". I feel like shouting "enough is enough". In foster care training we learn to focus on our strengths and address our needs in ways that turn them into strengths. Our children are hearing the same messages on television and radio that we are. They are hearing the family conversations about layoffs, payments, budget cuts. We all need to consider how we can focus on our strengths and try to keep things on a positive note.

As we plan our first annual conference, we have addressed financial concerns. We have had teleconference calls to reduce the expense and time of travel. We have worked with the variety of agencies involved in planning this conference to be able to keep costs down, provide a quality conference, and do it at no cost to the participants except for their travel. We have had wonderful cooperation from everyone involved, from funding sources to hotel staff.

At home, we have addressed the economic issues as well. We handle things by telephone as much as possible. Even though the cost of fuel is down considerably, we still want to conserve as much as possible. We recycle everything that we can, which gives us a feeling that we are helping the environment by not filling up landfills with stuff that can be re-made into something else useable. We are planting a garden. We are using the clothes line as much as possible in place of the clothes dryer. We keep lights turned off in empty rooms, we keep our thermostat turned down, we repair rather than throw away. We look for bargains and things on sale, things we truly need, not things we want. We pack snacks to take to sports events so we don't spend alot of money on overpriced and unhealthy food at the concession stands. These things may not sound like much, but they can add up to a considerable savings. Savings that can be used to purchase necessities like food and pay for things like utilities. We teach our children, by example, how to save rather than how to spend.

Let's set a positive example for our children and face the future with a good outlook and good choices. Saundra

We are already in February, 2009. Time seems to go by so quickly. I wonder if the children in foster care think the same. I would guess that for them, time seems to drag. Here at KFAPA, there is so much to do! We continue our conference planning. Now that we have the date, place, theme, and speakers, we are working on whether to provide child care to the attendees and how to design a brochure. The child care issue is a complex one, as children in foster care have specific requirements regarding child care. The brochure design is a complex one as well, because we have to come up with a logo to match our theme, get all the conference information arranged on the brochure in a eye-catching manner, then figure out how to distribute it. The committee working on this conference is putting in a lot of time and effort. Hopefully, the families and workers will feel that is will be of benefit and we will have a full house.

It seems like there is a big let-down after "the holidays". Yet we have the SuperBowl (seems like that has turned into a holiday of sorts), Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and let's not forget spring break. The National Foster Parent Association has its annual conference in Reno, Nevada the first week of May. Anyone interested in attending that can visit their website for information. And please keep looking at our website, kfapa.org, for updates and information about our conference on July 11, 2009, in Topeka, Kansas.

Planning A Conference

Our association has been working diligently the past two months to plan an annual conference. Most of us have never been involved in this kind of planning prior to this. It has been quite an educational experience. The planning committee has done a wonderful job of looking at a conference theme, dates, major speakers, conference sites, food choices. We wanted to do something that involves the entire child welfare system, so we invited the Kansas Family Advisory Network to partner with us. We are also working with The Kansas Department of Judicial Administration, SRS, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Children's Alliance, and the child placement agencies. I hope I haven't left anyone out. We feel that working together is a must, and we have been very pleased with the openness and cooperation of the other agencies. We want to bring together birth families, foster, adoptive, and kinship families, new child welfare workers, and all the agencies, to talk about our system in Kansas. We want to provide education to our families, and we want to know what works, what doesn't seem to be working like we thought, what can we all do better or differently in the provision of services to children and families. Our conference is planned for July 11 in our state capitol of Topeka. We will have more about it on our website and in our newsletters. We encourage all families to let us know how things are going, not just at the conference, but throughout the year. If there are problems or concerns, we want to know so we can help find solutions. That only makes the system work more smoothly for everyone.

We will also be touring across the state during February as part of the KDHE BEST Team to present the child placement agency licensing regulation revisions. These have not been updated since the 1980s. The Team has been working on the revisions for many months, and we are now ready to have the public forums to get more input from agencies and families. If any families are interested in attending, they can check with the child placement agencies in their area to find out when those meetings are scheduled.

Thanks for checking our website, kfapa.org. Saundra Hiller, President