Many of us in the service field feel uncomfortable highlighting our successes. Humility is a virtue, certainly. Humility sometimes deprives others of joining in successes, and therefore providing inspiration. You will need to decide when and how to shine light on successes to inspire those in your community and those right there within your agency!
Consider highlighting Treatment Foster Parents’ efforts often. Privately you can offer kind words or a hand-written note pointing out their actions which directly benefited a child in their home. We can all find innumerable times that this can be used to let our Treatment Foster Parents know that their daily actions contribute a great deal to the lives of children.
There will also be times when you want to celebrate their successes publicly. You may consider making a Treatment Foster Family the focus of a human interest story in the newspaper (with their permission, of course!) or ask them to tape a radio PSA. You could ask a parent to be a part of your pre-service training to explain to potential Treatment Foster Parents how children can be worked with successfully. A Treatment Foster Parent who is currently struggling with the difficult behaviors of a child…but who is persevering and doing the right things…can be highlighted in this way as well. You can have a party at the office when a child is adopted…or go to the Judges chambers and have a picture taken as he/she signs the adoptive order.
Sending a Treatment Foster Parent to training at the FFTA conference is a way of letting them know that you value their skills enough to want to make that effort. You could encourage parents to design and present a workshop at the conference as well. Attending the conference is a way for parents to connect with other Treatment Parents from around the country and to feel a part of a larger picture of service to children.
Sending certificates, having a lunch, taking the opportunity to celebrate 1,3,5 etc. years of service are just a few ideas for public expressions of appreciation and celebration. Allow your Treatment Foster Parents to shine. Sit down and think of a list of ways for them to contribute and for you to highlight their efforts.
