The Urgent Need for Collaboration: Public Safety Officers and Families in Supporting Foster, Adopted, and Kinship Children

Children in foster, adoptive, and kinship care need strong, consistent, and supportive relationships—especially with their caregivers. When public safety officers or school professionals serve as a child’s primary source of comfort in a crisis, it’s important to be mindful that family bonds remain intact.
🤝 The solution? Collaboration and Training. By working together, public safety officers, educators, and caregivers can ensure that professional support strengthens family connections, helping children feel secure at home, at school, and in their communities.

The Essential Role of School Social Workers in Fostering Family Bonds and Belonging

School social workers play a vital role in supporting foster, adoptive, and kinship children—but their impact is most powerful when they work alongside caregivers. Without intentional collaboration, children may form strong attachments at school that unintentionally sideline their caregivers, creating emotional disconnects at home. By bridging the gap between school and family, social workers help children build secure bonds in both environments, fostering a true sense of belonging.

From the Founder – March 2025

From the Founder: What is an Attachment-Focused Intervention? It has been a joy to meet so many of the educators and professionals supporting our children over this past year, especially school social workers who we honor in this newsletter. In my work, I often get asked, What is an attachment-focused intervention? Simply put, it’s an […]

Beacon Portal

Beacon Portal

iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families is incredibly grateful to Dr. Dana Weiner for her leadership in the development of the BEACON Portal. This invaluable tool is going to make a world of difference for adoptive, foster, and kinship families who are struggling to find the right services for their children. The BEACON portal simplifies the process of connecting families to behavioral health resources, breaks down barriers to care, and helps fight stigmas around mental health. With a goal to provide early intervention and empower families to access support, the BEACON portal will be a lifeline for so many families in Illinois. Thank you, Dr. Weiner, for your dedication to improving mental health care access for families and children in need!

https://beacon.illinois.gov

Walking a Tightrope

Do you feel like every day is a tightrope of tough decisions? Lately, it seems like every choice, at home, at work, and in the world, feels high-stakes. What do we care about? What’s best for our family? How do I make an impact at work? When do I stand up for kids without a voice? Do I need to take on every fight?

Yikes! And with all this pressure, we know our kids are watching 😱!

Remember, as hard as it is, making tough decisions is how we build resilience. Even when you’re unsure, you’re proving you can handle life’s messiness. Life is about showing up. When we step into the arena and take a stand, we model courage and love.

Even when it feels like you’re living in a real-life game of dodgeball, showing up and doing your best has its rewards.

We’re all in the business of making tough decisions. The real win isn’t about being perfect; it’s about bouncing back, learning, and marching forward.

Next time you feel that weight, take a deep breath, trust your gut, and keep going. You’re doing better than you think!

Legislative Update – March 2025

Universal mental health screening has the potential to transform how we support foster, adoptive, and kinship children, ensuring early identification of mental health needs and better access to resources. However, without proper trauma-informed training and family involvement, there is a risk of misdiagnosis, labeling, and inadequate support. At iCARE4, we are committed to ensuring screenings are done right—leading to meaningful interventions that truly help children and families thrive.

Love in Action

Love in Action: Celebrating the Heart of Our Community

February often brings the pressure to create warmth and delight in a cold, gray month. For those in the adoption, foster, and kinship community, love goes far beyond Valentine’s cards and candy hearts.

In the iCARE4 community, love is rocking a baby at 2 a.m., navigating outbursts with patience, Googling teen slang to connect, and bravely seeing the whole child in the classroom. It’s the imperfect, soul-nourishing love that donors, caregivers, and educators pour into our mission every day.

This month, let’s celebrate the love that transforms lives—beautiful, messy, and unshakable.

Love Cannot Be Left to Chance

Why Adoptive and Foster Care Training Must Be Standard

In Illinois, approximately 300,000 adoptive, foster, and kinship children face unique emotional and developmental challenges that demand specialized support. Yet, inconsistent training for educators leaves their success up to chance.

Trauma-informed care isn’t just compassionate—it’s transformative. Research shows it improves academic outcomes, reduces behavioral crises, and even saves schools and the state significant costs. Without universal training, however, a patchwork system risks misunderstanding these children’s needs, perpetuating cycles of instability and failure.

Every child deserves equitable access to care. Let’s ensure all educators are equipped to recognize and support the unique needs of these children.

Read more about how we can build a consistent, trauma-informed system to create lasting change for Illinois’ children.

Self-Love and Self-Care for Parents

Parenting in foster and adoptive roles is deeply rewarding but also uniquely challenging. To truly show up for your children, it’s essential to prioritize your own well-being. Burnout is real, but by nurturing yourself, you strengthen your ability to nurture others.

Discover practical tips to care for yourself, including building a strong support system, celebrating small wins, and carving out time for relaxation and joy. Remember, self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Explore how focusing on your well-being can help you stay resilient and make a lasting impact on your family.

Read more for insights, support group recommendations, and self-care strategies.

Love is a Legislative Roundtable

On January 16, 2025, advocates, educators, and policymakers united in a shared mission: improving support for Illinois’ foster, adoptive, and kinship children in schools. The roundtable highlighted the urgent need for trauma-informed practices and targeted mental health training for school staff, with compelling data underscoring the life-changing impact these efforts could have.

Programs like the School-Based Adoption Competency Training and iCARE4 Schools Connection Kits exemplify the innovative steps being taken to close gaps in support. With the power of community collaboration and actionable solutions, this initiative aims to transform schools into havens of growth and healing for every child.

Join the movement—reach out to learn how you can help foster change in your community.