Foster Care History 1940s – 1950’s

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Cod Liver Oil, Outgrown Shoes and Visitors – Foster Care History 1940s – 1950s

Long before foster care organizations like Foster and Adoptive Family Services were established, life was very different for foster children and foster parents than it is today. This information on Foster Care History in the 1940s – 1950s is reprinted from the New Jersey Foster Parents Association’s (now known as Foster and Adoptive Family Services, or FAFS) twentieth anniversary program.

Foster Care History – Medicine, Nutrition and Clothing

foster care historyA 1942 publication of “A Home Should Provide” by the State Board of Child Guardians, suggested to foster parents that “Cod liver oil should be given to children under four years of age from September through May, and in certain instances throughout the year.” (Cod liver oil was thought to boost the immune system and protect children from colds and flu.)

Back then, the agency provided milk to foster children through contract with a delivery company and foster parents had to advise the agency promptly if the milk delivery was irregular in coming.

Clothing for children in foster care was provided through a large supply house run by the Board. Foster parents were urged to carefully measure their foster children twice a year so their clothing requests could be submitted. Foster parents also had to plan for a child’s foot growth at least once a month in advance to be sure that a replacement pair of shoes could be obtained in time. Continue reading →

Changes in Foster Care | Responding to Families’ Changing Needs

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Responding to Changes in Foster Care Placements

Changes in Foster Care - Kinship Care

Changes in Foster Care – Kinship Care

I’ve been involved with FAFS for 9 years now, and we’ve always responded to the changing needs of our families. Unlike some other foster care organizations, FAFS has done a tremendous job in staying current and viable as we continue to see more and more changes in foster care. We are just as relevant and forward thinking as we were 10, 15, and 20+ years ago.

One of the biggest changes in foster care we’ve seen over our years is that when we started, there were sooo many children and not enough homes. Now too many homes, and not alot of children to place in them (in our area). The future of foster care in kinship care. FAFS’ programs will be heading in that direction, but I foresee the landscape changing again as children start aging out of kinship or difficulties develop within kinship homes.

Changes in Foster Care – Helping Kinship Caregivers

Kinship caregivers who are new to the foster care system often need assistance navigating the ins and outs of DCP&P policy, etc., and FAFS is reaching out to grandparents raising grandchildren in NJ, as well as other relatives and friends coming to the aid of our state’s most vulnerable children.

FAFS promotes the theory that foster parents are the foster child’s best advocates, and they assist us in being just that. My involvement with Foster and Adoptive Family Services helped me be a better foster parent by shedding light on this important duty.

From the NJ foster parent support group side (our Support Networks, also known as Volunteer Committees), relationships have been strengthened with the Board of Directors over the years. No matter what changes in foster care have come and gone over our forty years of service, FAFS has always maintained a stronghold in our field of expertise: being the voice of foster, adoptive and kinship families in New Jersey.

FAFS is well rounded and versed in all aspects of foster care, including kinship care. Its like “one stop shopping” with all of your answers under one roof. To learn more, please visit www.fafsonline.org.

Milestones in Foster Care History The 1970’s | Free Training For Foster Parents in NJ

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Free Training For Foster Parents in NJ Means Better Care For Foster Children in the State

When we started back in the early ’70s, there was no free training for foster parents in NJ offered or required by the State, nor paid training for that matter. But then, just like now, foster parents were taking children into their home who had experienced abuse and neglect, or had serious medical issues. Foster parents wanted to help the kids – and wanted help helping the kids – but there wasn’t anything “official” available. Many foster parents took trainings in one parenting skill or another from various sources, but there was no consistency. If you lived in Essex County, for instance, you might be doing something totally different than a foster parent in Mercer County. We’ve come a long way since then! (Click to learn more about currently offered free foster parent training in NJ.)

When we started the NJFPA, now known as FAFS, we knew we wanted to make free training for foster parents readily available and that we wanted to make it consistent throughout New Jersey. We also knew we wanted a foster parent to provide and present the training. We told DYFS (now DCP&P), “We have a foster parent that is very knowledgeable and knows a lot about training, and we would like that person to be in charge of the training.” Back then, we were met with some resistance – not so much to the training itself, but to having a foster parent in charge. But we told them, “I think they (the foster parents) want that, and that’s what we’re going to have to get.” Continue reading →

History of Foster Care in NJ From A Former Foster Child

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A Former Foster Child Recalls Her Experiences In The Home of Her Foster Parents, FAFS Founders Sue and Bernie Dondiego

As a result of being in foster care, I learned to be loved. I learned to be treated with respect and dignity. I also learned mostly what it was like to be part of a non-dysfunctional family. I learned what it was like to be part of a family. I was allowed to be “normal” and to have two wonderful parents who cared. As a former foster child, I still remember my time with my foster parents fondly.

Education was always a priority and I did very well during my time in foster care. My foster parents always pressed upon us that education was important and I carried that with me throughout my life. Even though I didn’t go directly to college after high school I knew I had to get a degree sometime and I did eventually go back and earned an associates degree in Accounting.

Not every foster home is a good home or a good match for the child. It takes a great deal of wisdom to place the right child with the right foster parents. Sometimes you don’t have a choice because you’re a child in the system and the adults have the decision making power over your life. However, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade is what my foster parents taught me and I’ve carried that throughout my life. Continue reading →

Milestones In Foster Care History The 1970s | NJFPA Holds First Meeting at Shiloh Baptist Church

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Milestones in Foster Care History in NJ – The 1970s – Foster parents Sue and Bernie Dondiego and Hattie Talley go from a kitchen table with just the 3 of them to a statewide meeting of concerned foster parents after forming the New Jersey Foster Parent Association (NJFPA), known today as Foster and Adoptive Family Services (FAFS).

Milestones in Foster Care History in NJ – The 1970s – Memories of the NJFPA’s First Meeting at the Shiloh Baptist Church

What I remember most about that first meeting is how many people showed up, because it was only by word of mouth. At that time, we had no other way of getting the word out. We didn’t know who was who really. We knew some people, and we said if you know any foster parents, tell them to come. We told all the people we knew and they all brought people. We always had good meetings in the counties. We had a lot of representation. I would say, out of the twenty counties, we had at least twelve counties. Some were more strong then others. Middlesex was strong because we were from there, Burlington was strong because of Hattie, Camden was strong and Newark was strong – and Jersey City was strong. Some of the foster parents who came to that first meeting are still fostering today! Continue reading →