National Voice of Alumni Takes Stand on Parent Child Separation

June 23, 2018

NATIONAL VOICE OF ALUMNI TAKES STAND ON PARENT/CHILD SEPARATION A message from the Foster Care Alumni of America National Board of Directors

The Foster Care Alumni of America National Board of Directors is composed of a diverse group of professionals who have a wide variety of previous exposure to and life experiences within the child welfare system, including foster care. Based on our professional and personal experiences we take a stand on the forced separation of children from families at the southern US border.

As a society, we have recently witnessed thousands of babies, children, and teens separated from their asylum-seeking parents and subsequently detained around the country. We are deeply disturbed any time children are removed from their parents, but we are especially disturbed when children are removed in situations like this.

Recognizing the long-term negative psychological impact of separation from loved ones, the FCAA National Board supports the preservation of families, including those seeking asylum in the United States. We urge the immediate reunification of these families.

Many of the children are being displaced into our existing, seriously overloaded foster care systems. It has been reported that some of them are also being detained in warehouse-like environments often in chain-link cages. This is unacceptable.

As alumni of the United States foster care system, many of us have encountered the same fears, anxieties, apprehensions, and traumas these children and teens are now enduring. We urge all alumni of care to be self-nurturing and careful toward ourselves as we witness this unfold.

The FCAA National Board cares deeply about all alumni of foster care and we want to make sure that if you feel anxieties rising higher than normal, you feel triggered, or are otherwise feeling especially sad or upset, please reach out for help.

We also encourage all alumni of foster care to be especially aware of the feelings of other alumni of care during this time. We encourage peer support when you have it in place.

Click here to read FCAA’s formal policy statement addressing this sensitive issue of keeping families together, published June 28, 2018

A list of support resources is outlined below:

A Home Within – https://www.ahomewithin.org/request-therapy/

Foster Care Psychological Services from A Home Within provides open-ended individual psychotherapy to current and former foster youth, free of charge

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline– 1-800-273-8255

The Trevor Project – LBGTQ – https://www.thetrevorproject.org1-866-488-7386

A crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7 that specializes in serving LBGTQ youth.

One Simple Wish –www.onesimplewish.org

Are you caring for or working with a child impacted by the immigration crisis? There are a Kids in Crisis Wish Fund to help assist with needs.

The mission of Foster Care Alumni of America is to ensure that all people in and from care are Connected, Empowered, and Flourishing and we welcome all people who have a connection to foster care to be members of our nation-wide community. Former foster youth and allies who support this community are welcome and you can learn more about membership on our web site