In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, host Brian Mavis and co-host Courtney Williams welcome Felicia Curcuru, CEO and co-founder of Binti, a technology platform designed to streamline the foster care licensing process. Felicia shares her personal connection to the foster care system, stemming from her sister's challenging experience in adopting two children. This motivated her to create a solution that simplifies the licensing process for families and social workers alike.

Felicia discusses the transformative impact of Binti on the child welfare system, emphasizing how their software solutions streamline processes for agencies and improve outcomes for children. Binti currently serves over 550 agencies across 36 states, significantly improving the efficiency of family approvals and reducing the administrative burden on social workers.

Binti functions like TurboTax for foster and adoptive families, allowing them to complete applications online, e-sign documents, and upload necessary paperwork. The platform also provides social workers with a user-friendly dashboard to track families' progress, manage background checks, and automate reminders. With measurable results showing a 30% increase in family approvals and an 18% reduction in processing time, Binti is making a significant impact in the child welfare sector.

She emphasizes the importance of reducing the number of children in care and increasing family placements, aligning with federal initiatives. The conversation culminates in a discussion about the need for unconditional love and support for children in foster care, showcasing Binti's commitment to improving the foster care experience for both children and families.

Learn more about Binti:
https://binti.com/

Takeaways

• Binti serves over 550 agencies in 36 states.
• The platform improves family approval rates by 30% and reduces processing time by 18%.
• Felicia's motivation stemmed from her sister's difficult adoption experience.
• Binti automates administrative tasks for social workers, allowing them to focus on family engagement.
• AI is used to streamline processes without making decisions about families. Agencies using Binti are 18% faster on average.
• Binti allows for paper applications to accommodate non-tech-savvy families.
• The goal is to reduce the number of children in care while increasing family placements.
• Binti's software aims to streamline processes for social workers and improve outcomes for children.
• Unconditional love and support are essential for children in foster care.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Brian and Courtney welcome Charell Starr, a former foster youth and advocate. Charell shares her personal journey through the foster care system, discussing the challenges she faced, her reunification with her mother, and her experiences in boarding school. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique circumstances of each child in foster care and the need for empathy towards families.

Charell also discusses her transition into advocacy, sparked by her desire to raise awareness about the needs of foster youth, leading to her participation in a documentary series that highlights various foster care experiences. She emphasizes the role of mentors, like CASAs, in helping youth navigate their challenges and highlights her memoir, 'Trash Bag Tales,' which details her journey and the significance of community and trust in healing from trauma.

Pickup a copy of her book "Trash Bag Tales":
https://a.co/d/0eP3OiC1

Takeaways

• Charell's journey through foster care began at a young age.
• She experienced six different homes in six years.
• Reunification with her mother was a challenging process.
• Education provided a grounding force in her life.
• Every child's experience in foster care is unique.
• Advocacy can stem from personal experiences and feelings.
• Empathy towards families is crucial in foster care.
• Documentaries can raise awareness about foster care issues.
• Charell's story is part of a larger docu-series on foster care.
• Understanding trauma is essential for supporting youth in care. No youth in foster care deserves to be in foster care.
• Stereotypes about foster youth often stem from misconceptions.
• Support from mentors can significantly impact a youth's success.
• Charell credits her success to her great grandmother and supportive teachers.
• Writing her memoir was a way to share her story and inspire others.
• Healing from trauma requires community and trust in others.
• CASAs play a crucial role in advocating for foster youth.
• Youth with CASAs are more likely to reunify with families and graduate high school.
• Everyone deserves someone who believes in them.
• Charell's story illustrates the power of empathy and understanding.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Brian, Courtney, and Travis discuss the I Belong Project, a program aimed at helping children in foster care find families. This is a unique episode because some of the stories shared on this episode come from our staff on the ground in various states across the country. The hosts listen and react and also share their own personal stories and insights from their experiences in foster care and adoption, highlighting the importance of storytelling and social media in raising awareness and engaging potential adoptive families. The conversation emphasizes the need for better matching of children with families and the challenges faced by kids in the foster care system.

The hosts discuss the challenges faced by hard-to-place children in the foster care system, the importance of creative advocacy in finding families for these children, the significance of sibling bonds in the adoption process, and the complex emotions surrounding grief and loss in adoption. They emphasize the need for awareness and compassion in addressing the needs of these children and the families that support them.

Learn more about about our I Belong Project and meet kids waiting for adoptive families:

https://americaskidsbelong.org/meet-the-kids/

Takeaways

• Courtney has been a foster mom for 18 years.
• The I Belong Project helps children find families through storytelling.
• Social media plays a crucial role in raising awareness.
• Many families inquire about children they see in videos.
• The project has filmed over 4,258 kids without turning anyone down.
• Kids in foster care often wait years for adoption.
• The best advocates for children are the children themselves.
• Matching families to children is a critical process.
• The project has led to increased inquiries from first-time foster parents.
• There is a family for every child, and connections can be biological. Kids who are hard to place often wait a long time for families.
• Reunification efforts may fail, leading to the need for adoption.
• Many hard-to-place kids have special needs or siblings they want to stay with.
• Creative advocacy can change perceptions and outcomes for children.
• Siblings being separated in adoption is a common but challenging issue.
• Keeping siblings together can provide emotional support during adoption.
• Adoption comes with grief for biological families and foster families.
• Understanding the grief involved in adoption is crucial for adoptive families.
• Adoptive parents often face their own grief while supporting their children.
• The journey to adoption can lead to unexpected family connections.

In this conversation, Patton Dodd shares insights from his memoir about fatherhood (The Father You Get), exploring his relationship with his father and the impact of father figures in one's life. The conversation also explores the complexities of father figures, personal expectations, and the importance of presence in parenting. Patton discusses his own journey of becoming a dad, the emotional challenges he faced, and the significance of being fully present for children as dads.

Follow Patton's work and checkout his book:
https://pattondodd.com/

Takeaways

• We wanted to talk to people about poverty and inequality.
• We use stories to facilitate conversations.
• We've generated an audience who care about these issues.
• We're not pushing towards particular policy outcomes.
• We're trying to get people to become more aware.
• I was haunted by my dad's story.
• I felt a little bit of boldness to write.
• I didn't really know my father until I researched him.
• You don't become the way my dad was without trauma.
• Father figures aren't just mentors, you create them. I gave him a lot; I expected him to be something he was never going to be.
• Part of the answer to anxiety is just listening to the stories of other dads.
• What’s needed is not to feel like you know how to do it, but to keep showing up.
• Presence comes from deep within; you have to choose to be attentive.
• You can do a lot of dutiful stuff and be completely absent-minded about it.
• Fathers play an essential role that can't just be replaced.
• We are wired for fatherhood; it's part of our evolution.
• Little moments become the big moments in life.
• You have to actually choose to be attentive to your children.
• It's important to be all in during those moments with your kids.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Courtney Williams and Travis Vangsnes welcome Kayla Moffitt, a dedicated mother of five and a TBRI practitioner. The conversation begins with Kayla sharing her journey from being a youth pastor to becoming a foster parent, highlighting the challenges and joys of welcoming five siblings into her home overnight. Kayla discusses the emotional complexities of parenting children from traumatic backgrounds, particularly the grief she experienced when her father passed away just as her new children were moving in. The hosts and Kayla delve into the importance of understanding trauma-informed care and the necessity of regulating one's own emotions as a parent to create a safe environment for children who have faced significant hardships.

As the discussion progresses, Kayla emphasizes the need for community support for foster families, sharing her experiences with both helpful and unhelpful forms of assistance. She stresses that love alone is not enough; foster parents must also be equipped with knowledge and resources to effectively support their children. The episode concludes with Kayla offering practical advice for future foster parents, urging them to meet children where they are emotionally and to be patient as they navigate the complexities of building trust and relationships. This heartfelt conversation is a testament to the resilience of foster families and the importance of community in the foster care journey.

Follow Kayla on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/makingthemoffitts/

Checkout our free trauma training workshop:
https://americaskidsbelong.org/lp/trauma-sensitivity-workshop-training/

Takeaways:

• Love is not enough; understanding is crucial.
• Meet children where they are emotionally.
• Community support is vital for foster families.
• Regulate yourself before attempting to regulate a child.
• Foster parents need tangible help, not just good intentions.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, host Travis Vangsnes and co-host Courtney Williams welcome Jeanette Yoffe, a clinical psychotherapist and advocate for foster care and adoption. Jeanette shares her personal journey through foster care and adoption, emphasizing the importance of understanding grief and loss in children. She discusses the significance of open adoption, the need for connection, and the various interventions she has developed to help children cope with their experiences.

Jeanette also introduces her book, 'The Traumatized and At-Risk Youth Toolbox,' which provides practical tools for parents and caregivers. The conversation highlights the importance of mattering and connection for children in foster care, encouraging foster parents to create a safe and supportive environment for their children.

Checkout her website and all her tools and resources:
https://www.jeanetteyoffe.com/

Takeaways

• Jeanette Yoffe shares her personal journey through foster care and adoption.
• Understanding grief and loss is crucial for children in foster care.
• Open adoption allows children to maintain connections with their birth families.
• Children need to know they matter and are valued.
• Interventions like the 'sad bag' help children cope with grief.
• Foster parents should lean into the discomfort of children's feelings.
• Jeanette's book provides practical tools for parents and caregivers.
• Children often recycle questions about their past as they develop.
• It's important to separate a child's behavior from their identity.
• Creating a safe environment helps children thrive.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, host Brian Mavis and co-host Courtney Williams interview Jamie Finn, a prominent figure in the foster care community. Jamie shares her personal journey into foster care, the impact on her biological children, and the importance of self-care for foster parents. They discuss her book 'God Loves Kids', the need for supportive communities, and the challenges foster parents face, including burnout and the reasons many quit. Jamie emphasizes the importance of saying yes to children in need and the eternal impact of foster care.

Pickup Jamie's new book--God Loves Kids: A Gospel Centered Book About Foster Care
https://a.co/d/052zNuJ9

Checkout her org: Foster the Family
https://www.fosterthefamily.org/

Instagram:
@fosterthefamilyblog

Takeaways

• Jamie Finn is a well-known advocate in the foster care community.
• Foster care can significantly impact biological children in positive ways.
• Self-care is crucial for foster parents to avoid burnout.
• Foster parents need to feel supported and seen in their roles.
• The goal of foster care is often reunification, which can be challenging for foster parents.
• Children in foster care need families, not just temporary homes.
• Every moment spent with foster children can have lasting effects.
• Foster parents should be trauma-informed to better support the children in their care.
• Community support is essential for the sustainability of foster care.
• The journey of foster care is filled with both challenges and rewards.

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, Tyler Hunter shares his profound journey through foster care and adoption. He reflects on the challenges he faced, the coping mechanisms he developed, and the importance of community and support in his life. Tyler emphasizes the transformative power of foster care, the significance of forgiveness, and the need for advocacy in the child welfare system. His story is a testament to resilience, personal growth, and the impact of unconditional love and support.

Takeaways

• Foster care can be a life-saving experience.
• Masking feelings is a common coping mechanism for children in care.
• School can provide a safe haven for foster children.
• Finding a sense of normalcy is crucial for foster youth.
• Forgiveness is essential for personal healing.
• Community support is vital for children in foster care.
• Foster parents play a critical role in a child's life.
• Vulnerability is a challenge for many who have experienced trauma.
• Positive affirmations can significantly impact a child's self-worth.
• Advocacy is necessary to improve the foster care system.