Treatment
Foster Care
helps foster kids overcome trauma
Jeff and Suzie Blake became
involved with the LSS Treatment Foster Care Program in 1999, after they
found out they were not able to have children. With a large house on 29
acres of land near Becker, Minn., they had lots of resources, but more
importantly, they had lots of love to give. "We searched the web for
organizations that had foster care programs and chose LSS," said Suzie
Blake. "LSS has always been right there with the support we need. We can't
imagine doing foster care without them."
The LSS Treatment Foster Care
Program serves children who have experienced previous trauma. LSS offers
specially trained and supported foster families, like the Blakes, who
serve in a co-parenting role with the biological parents, and in a team
membership role with social workers, LSS staff and therapists. Treatment
focuses on trauma resolution, with the foster home viewed as a healing
environment, and the foster parents as the most critical component of that
healing.
"They are always very focused
on the best interests of children," Lisa Meyer, LSS mental health
practitioner, said of the Blakes. "They're very open to our assistance.
They want to learn about the kids, and about child behavior, development,
and mental health in general. They take the foster parent role and
responsibilities very seriously."
Jeff and Suzie's first foster
care experience was with a 17-year old girl who was supposed to stay with
the couple for two weeks. She stayed much longer, and Jeff and Suzie
helped her get into college. Now Jeff and Suzie share their home with
David, 16, and Joseph, 14. "We got into foster care because we were not
able to get pregnant, but we're not a foster care facility, we're a
family," Suzie said. "Other families may do it another way, but we don't
treat the boys any differently because they aren't blood relatives.
They're our kids."
David first stayed with the
Blakes in 2000, but, for various reasons, he ran away. David hid from
police at the homes of various relatives until they found him and sent him
to residential treatment. Suzie and Jeff asked that David be placed in
their home again, and LSS assisted them, even though "no one had ever made
that request." David has been back with the Blakes since March of 2002.
"We were almost smothering him
at first because he didn't come from a loving home. Maybe the fact that
David left for a time was for the best. After he came back, things changed
for the better," Suzie said. "LSS is very straightforward. They are direct
in telling us if we should or shouldn't be doing something, and we
appreciate the support."
The LSS model of care offers
extensive training of foster families in interventions designed to meet
the special and individual needs of the children in their care. Foster
family education is ongoing and support networks are readily available.
Every prospective foster parent must complete 30 hours of training, in
addition to basic CPR and First Aid training. 24 hours of continuing
education are required once the family is licensed.
Joseph has been with Jeff and
Suzie since February of 2002. He was an abused child who was adopted by
his grandmother, along with his two younger siblings. After the adoption,
Joseph began to abuse his siblings, and his grandmother voluntarily placed
him in foster care. He came to the Blakes home in lieu of hospital
treatment, and was supposed to stay only six months. The Blakes are now
negotiating to have Joseph stay longer. "Joseph was scared at first,
scared of the horses, scared of the dark, but now he rides bareback and he
will walk out to the barn without the lights on," Suzie said. The Blakes
are also good friends with Joseph's grandmother, who lives only a few
miles away with Joseph's siblings.
Joseph will eventually go back
to his grandmother, so the concept of co-parenting has been very important
in his treatment. "Suzie and Jeff have a good relationship with Joseph's
grandmother and work cooperatively with her. They have really done a good
job of sharing information and making Joseph's grandmother not feel
threatened," Lisa said.
The Blakes have gone to
extraordinary lengths to make the boys feel that they are part of the
family, and their extended family has helped as well. The Blakes' parents
have officially become foster parents so that they can take David and
Joseph on weekends or overnight. "We wanted everything to be as normal as
possible," Suzie said. "Our family treats David and Joseph as if they were
our boys, and they are."
"We use our imaginations a lot
to get through the tough times. They aren't blood, but we love them. Some
people say we're nuts, but we can't explain the gratification we get. Sure
there are problems, but everyone's kids have problems," Suzie said.
"This is their safe place.
This is their home."
