Make Family Possible

Entering Foster Care

My name is Katy, and I entered the foster care system when I was 14 years old with my two brothers, who were 3 and 7 years old. The day we were taken, I wasn’t at home; I was with my friend at her house. It was very scary, and I wasn’t sure what was happening or why a random lady was showing up and trying to take me away. All I had were the clothes that were with me at the time. When I got in the car, she talked to me and asked if I understood what was happening, and all I said was yes. Even though I didn’t know, I didn’t want to talk. She took me to the police station, where I met up with my two brothers. She got me some clothes and essentials that I would need with my brothers.

Going To A Foster Home or Relative Placement

While at this stage Katy’s story leads her into group and foster homes, many foster youth find loving and stable temporary homes through relative care placement.
My brothers and I were separated into different foster homes when I was first taken away. The first foster group home I was in was very unwelcoming and unsafe. Eventually, I was removed and placed in a group home, where my brothers and I were reunited. Eventually, we got separated again, and I moved to a group home in Apollo Beach. At this particular home, I felt unsafe, and I started skipping school and eventually ran away simply because I felt as if no one was listening to me and I felt they weren’t taking anything I said into consideration. I had my fair share of unhealthy and toxic group homes. Not everyone at the foster group homes I went through was the best, but there were a decent amount of people who were very kind. After running away, I felt as if I was actually being listened to, so they moved me in with one of my closest friends and their family as a true foster family home rather than a group home, where I began to feel safe and happy.

Reunification

During the reunification process, our case manager helped with supervised visits online and in person. While we were doing the visits, my mother and her boyfriend were given classes and a timestamp of when to finish them. My mom tried really hard, but unfortunately, there were too many barriers to overcome. Although we were not reunified with our parents, I know some kids have been reunified because of the foster family I lived with. They had a child taken away and were reunified after the mom took all the classes and got the help she needed. They are still a strong family to this day, and because they were successful in reuniting with their own child, they became a safe and loving home for me while I was in care.

Termination of Parental Rights

Eventually, I was sat down by one of the counselors at one of the group homes and told our parents’ rights would be terminated, meaning they were no longer our parents legally, and that’s when I was told they would begin searching for a new family for me and my brothers. It is scary to meet new people who can potentially become your family. It took a while to find people of interest who were willing to adopt siblings and a young adult. That is always an issue with finding families because everyone assumes teens are bad news or more traumatized. I was concerned that they would not be able to find a family willing to take me with my brothers when I was already 16 years old and about to turn 17. I also knew two girls a little older than me who were about to age out and did not find adoptive families.

Finding a Forever Home

Although it was a lot of work and took a while, a year and a half after our parental rights had been terminated, we found a forever family/home with the help of our new Guardian ad Litem (GAL) that was assigned to us. She made sure that the families being interviewed understood that I wanted to be adopted with my brothers. The family that we were matched with understood this and was all for it. We were matched right before I turned 18, and just after my birthday, we started our visits. Our first visit was to the bowling alley, which I was super nervous about because I wanted them to like us. It turns out they were nervous for the same reason. We soon started non-supervised visits, and shortly after that, we moved in and finalized the adoption in 2023. They have fought for us and pushed us to do our best, which is something I haven’t experienced in a long time. Even though it wasn’t the ending we hoped for in the beginning, that doesn’t mean we aren’t happy with what happened.

Though Katy’s home was found through a new family, many foster youth find their forever through kinship adoption, allowing them to remain connected to their family and culture in a safe, loving family environment.

Aging Out

Although my story ended with a happy ending, not every kid gets a forever home. Some kids are stuck aging out, and most of the time they are aging out without the support and guidance they need. Statistics even show kids that age out of foster care are at higher risk for trafficking, which honestly speaks for itself. My two friends who have aged out of care are getting by all right on their own. But there is no doubt that if they had the support of a loving family, they would most likely be in a much better place today.

Entering Foster Care

My name is Katy, and I entered the foster care system when I was 14 years old with my two brothers, who were 3 and 7 years old. The day we were taken, I wasn’t at home; I was with my friend at her house. It was very scary, and I wasn’t sure what was happening or why a random lady was showing up and trying to take me away. All I had were the clothes that were with me at the time. When I got in the car, she talked to me and asked if I understood what was happening, and all I said was yes. Even though I didn’t know, I didn’t want to talk. She took me to the police station, where I met up with my two brothers. She got me some clothes and essentials that I would need with my brothers.

Going To A Foster Home or Relative Placement

While at this stage Katy’s story leads her into group and foster homes, many foster youth find loving and stable temporary homes through relative care placement.
My brothers and I were separated into different foster homes when I was first taken away. The first foster group home I was in was very unwelcoming and unsafe. Eventually, I was removed and placed in a group home, where my brothers and I were reunited. Eventually, we got separated again, and I moved to a group home in Apollo Beach. At this particular home, I felt unsafe, and I started skipping school and eventually ran away simply because I felt as if no one was listening to me and I felt they weren’t taking anything I said into consideration. I had my fair share of unhealthy and toxic group homes. Not everyone at the foster group homes I went through was the best, but there were a decent amount of people who were very kind. After running away, I felt as if I was actually being listened to, so they moved me in with one of my closest friends and their family as a true foster family home rather than a group home, where I began to feel safe and happy.

Reunification

During the reunification process, our case manager helped with supervised visits online and in person. While we were doing the visits, my mother and her boyfriend were given classes and a timestamp of when to finish them. My mom tried really hard, but unfortunately, there were too many barriers to overcome. Although we were not reunified with our parents, I know some kids have been reunified because of the foster family I lived with. They had a child taken away and were reunified after the mom took all the classes and got the help she needed. They are still a strong family to this day, and because they were successful in reuniting with their own child, they became a safe and loving home for me while I was in care.

Termination of Parental Rights

Eventually, I was sat down by one of the counselors at one of the group homes and told our parents’ rights would be terminated, meaning they were no longer our parents legally, and that’s when I was told they would begin searching for a new family for me and my brothers. It is scary to meet new people who can potentially become your family. It took a while to find people of interest who were willing to adopt siblings and a young adult. That is always an issue with finding families because everyone assumes teens are bad news or more traumatized. I was concerned that they would not be able to find a family willing to take me with my brothers when I was already 16 years old and about to turn 17. I also knew two girls a little older than me who were about to age out and did not find adoptive families.

Finding a Forever Home

Although it was a lot of work and took a while, a year and a half after our parental rights had been terminated, we found a forever family/home with the help of our new Guardian ad Litem (GAL) that was assigned to us. She made sure that the families being interviewed understood that I wanted to be adopted with my brothers. The family that we were matched with understood this and was all for it. We were matched right before I turned 18, and just after my birthday, we started our visits. Our first visit was to the bowling alley, which I was super nervous about because I wanted them to like us. It turns out they were nervous for the same reason. We soon started non-supervised visits, and shortly after that, we moved in and finalized the adoption in 2023. They have fought for us and pushed us to do our best, which is something I haven’t experienced in a long time. Even though it wasn’t the ending we hoped for in the beginning, that doesn’t mean we aren’t happy with what happened.

Though Katy’s home was found through a new family, many foster youth find their forever through kinship adoption, allowing them to remain connected to their family and culture in a safe, loving family environment.

Aging Out

Although my story ended with a happy ending, not every kid gets a forever home. Some kids are stuck aging out, and most of the time they are aging out without the support and guidance they need. Statistics even show kids that age out of foster care are at higher risk for trafficking, which honestly speaks for itself. My two friends who have aged out of care are getting by all right on their own. But there is no doubt that if they had the support of a loving family, they would most likely be in a much better place today.