Wisconsin Boy Needs a Pre-Adopt Foster Home

LaBron is a resilient 10-year-old Wisconsin boy in need of a foster home where he can feel safe, supported, and seen by his foster parents. His story isn’t easy—he’s experienced neglect, physical abuse, and has witnessed family violence—but despite it all, LaBron continues to show his vibrant personality and caring heart.

A boy in foster care with a big heart and a curious spirit

LaBron is the kind of child who lights up when trying new things. He especially loves tasting new foods; his favorite candy is orange Skittles. He enjoys playing basketball outdoors and watching his favorite TV shows. One of the ways LaBron shows his thoughtful nature is in how he plays and interacts with family pets. He is gentle, nurturing, and a helpful caretaker. A foster family with pets may be a perfect match for LaBron.

AI 10 year old with dog

He had never had his own bedroom before and always shared a space with his mom, so he takes great pride in his tidy bedroom and bed. LaBron enjoys keeping his personal space neat and organized and takes excellent care of his belongings. These small routines help him feel grounded and in control—something that hasn't always been the case in his early years.

LaBron needs a foster family with time, patience, and a flexible schedule.

Because of his early experiences and diagnoses—Phonological Disorder, ADHD, and trauma-related stress disorder—LaBron needs a foster home that can offer structure, patience, and a lot of one-on-one time. He attends school with a 504 plan and is below grade level in most areas, particularly reading. When feeling overwhelmed, he visits the counselor’s office and wraps up in a weighted blanket to help self-regulate.

LaBron is sensitive to loud noises and can become overstimulated, so he must have space to calm down when needed. His ideal home would be quiet, predictable, and nurturing, with caregivers who understand trauma and can set firm but gentle boundaries.

He has weekly Zoom visits with his biological mom, who is incarcerated, and will need continued support for that relationship. He also needs ongoing therapy and medication management.

A pre-adopt foster family is desired

The referring county is searching for a pre-adoptive foster home, however, the goal remains reunification at this time, but that goal can change at any time.

LaBron would thrive in a home where:

Fostering a child like LaBron means showing up with empathy, flexibility, and a willingness to parent using the trauma-informed skills learned in foster parent training. It means seeing beyond behaviors to the boy inside who wants to feel safe, valued, and part of a family.

You can learn more about how to become a foster parent with CCR and contact us when you're ready to take the first step.

All identifying information have been changed to protect the identity of children.

Teens in Wisconsin Foster Care Feeling Unwanted

Jake is among the dozens of Wisconsin Foster Care teenagers referred to us monthly. He has been in a Wisconsin residential facility for 7 months and is eager to move in with a loving foster family. Jake needs a well-structured environment with adult supervision, consistent expectations, and fair rewards and consequences. 

Teens in Wisconsin foster care struggle to find homes.

Finding a flexible foster home for a teenager like Jake is a challenge. This is partly because many foster parents are afraid of teens and thus wish to help younger children. Also, it can be difficult for working foster parents to provide the necessary supervision and attend appointments. Jake has therapy sessions twice a week, which are essential for his progress and transition back to a family environment. Individual and family therapy will help support his development and adjustment.

Back view portrait of a boy watching tv at home

Wisconsin teens often feel unwanted and out of place.

Jake desperately needs emotional nourishment and support to feel valued and secure. He has endured significant trauma due to his abusive family background, having been exposed to drug use, domestic violence, and physical abuse. He felt adrift amidst the turmoil of his home life and the previous foster homes he lived in before the group home failed to provide the stable environment he needed.

Jake hopes to connect with a friendly couple or single foster parent who won't give up on him. He feels that people judge him quickly because he is an older teen in foster care. Living in a group home has taught him a lot, but he admits that he still needs to work on healthy relationships, managing his anger, and making better decisions.

Jake is eager to acquire new skills that will help him become independent and care for himself once he leaves foster care. He is fearful that he will fail once out of foster care. 

Jake will need the following from a foster family: 

Foster kids often visit with biological family

During visits with his family, Jake quickly becomes annoyed and verbally aggressive. When his older brother intervenes, he can become physically aggressive. Family therapy seems to be helping Jake with his anger and aggression towards family members. His parents struggle with mental health and drug use. Jake reports that his family home was chaotic and overwhelming. Consequently, he would like a foster home that is laid back yet has some structure.

Above all, he hopes to have foster parents who are calm and don't yell too much. He feels that nobody listens to him or cares what he thinks. boy with dog at home backyard

Teens in Wisconsin foster care want a chance to succeed.

Jake is polite, helpful, and considerate of others. He doesn't mind helping with household chores and is eager to learn new things. He acknowledges that he struggles with managing his anger and is open to trying new methods to control it. He enjoys being around family pets and assures his new foster parents that they can count on him to be kind to their animals. Jake wants his new family to give him a chance to prove that he is changing and making progress. 

With structure, patience, and a calm home environment, Jake has enormous potential to heal from his trauma. He is currently receiving mental health services and will need the support of his foster parents to stay on a path of growth and healing.

Youth like Jake are referred to CCR daily. Unfortunately, CCR did not have a foster home in the right location to accommodate Jake. 

Regardless of the county you live in, we encourage you to consider fostering older children. We desperately need homes in all corners of the state. Please contact us to explore how to become a foster parent.

* To protect the identity of all children, real names are never used in any CCR blogs or social media posts.

 

Wisconsin Foster Care Crisis Continues

The Wisconsin foster care crisis continues as we enter 2020. The plea for Wisconsin foster parents is desperate as more and more children and sibling groups enter foster care. Although the national Families First initiative is bringing some relief, sibling sets and groups of 3, 4 and more come into care regularly, mostly due to statewide drug abuse. Thankfully, 100% of our foster parents are willing to foster more than one child at a time. But what happens when we just can't seem to recruit new foster parents? what happens when we don't have an available home? As was the case a few weeks back when we did not have a foster home for 2-year-old twins!

There was not a foster home available for twin toddlers!

Hard to believe isn't it? When we posted this on our Facebook page, it went mini-viral. Over 3,000 people saw our post and the reactions and comments were as we expected.

Oh my gosh, I would take them in a heartbeat.

I wish I had the space in my home.

I am a licensed with my county and have no placements. Can I take them?

What county are they in? I can help.

Comments came in from all over the state. As expected, many of the reactions came from frustrated county foster parents with beds available in their homes. Many folks were willing to help and others were sad they could not.

Messages poured in from Wisconsin women interested in learning more, requesting information, and asking how they could help. We quickly responded to each in the hope that one would follow up and qualify as a prospective foster parent. That was 3 weeks ago, sadly none of those folks have followed up. We go through dry spells often so it does not surprise us when our inbox and mailbox remain empty. We remain hopeful.

Not one foster care application returned in 3 months!

Not one application returned to us between October to early January. We receive messages, emails, and calls every day from folks all over Wisconsin that are interested in learning about how to become a foster parent. Many are interested in information, some are ready to begin the application process, and others are looking to transfer from their county agency. ready for foster kids

We receive over 400 inquiries each year. Of those inquiries:

Less than 15% request a foster care application. Less than 1/3 will complete and return it.

Thinking about foster care and taking the leap to actually become a licensed foster parent are miles apart from one another. There is so much to learn and so much information to gather that many families are simply scared away from the process. Which is why at Community Care Resources we don't make prospective foster parents sit through a generic orientation session nor do we offer information sessions that gloss over the highlights of being a foster parent.

We want to speak to you. We want you to get all the Wisconsin foster care answers you are looking for in a single phone conversation. Sit comfortably in your home and be confident that you are getting honest, transparent information so that you can make the best decision for you and your family. Calls with our CCR foster parent advisor last as long as they need to, usually 30-60 minutes. The call can go in many directions but always ending with every question answered.

There are 5 foster care topics we discuss in detail.

  1. CCR agency details and what foster parents can expect.
  2. The qualifications to foster with CCR.
  3. How children are referred and placed in a home.
  4. How monthly payments, medical care, and respite care are provided.
  5. The steps and process to get a license.

There are no questions off-limits. There is no information that we will not provide. We have an answer to every question a prospective foster parent can possibly think of. We love foster care questions and we love to give foster care answers.

The list goes on and on. Sure, you can get a lot of that information right here on our website but we understand that sometimes, folks who want to become a foster parent want to speak with someone directly. People want to connect and feel welcomed by a friendly voice with hundreds of Wisconsin foster care answers.

It does not matter what Wisconsin county you live in. CCR is a statewide agency and we currently have homes in 35 Wisconsin counties. Each of our homes is receiving weekly in-home visits with unmatched support services.

What happened to the 2-year-old twins with no foster home to go to?

Unfortunately, we do not know. Sadly, we are not told what happens to children when we are unable to place them in a loving home. As tragic as that sounds, imagine the toll that takes on employees. It is heartbreaking and frustrating that we just don't have enough families to meet the needs of all of the children referred to us.

When county foster agencies are unable to place kids in a county foster home (for whatever reason) they make a referral to a private agency like CCR. If we don't have the right home in the right location able to meet ALL the needs of a child or sibling group, we must turn the referral down. It is then up to the referring county as to where that child or sibling group is placed.

There are dozens of reasons why kids are referred to us and there are dozens of reasons why we are sometimes unable to place children in a loving home. At CCR our goal is to create a healing environment for a child. We are building healthy relationships so that placements are successful and kids can heal from trauma. Often times, we are creating forever families through foster to adopt options.

If you have a flexible schedule that allows for weekly appointments, unplanned interruptions, and availability around school schedules, we would love to speak with you. If you are a current foster parent with your county or another agency and feeling frustrated, contact us and allow us to answer your questions. We love to provide details and honest answers.

Is foster parenting for you and your family? In less than 4 months you could be trained, licensed, and loving kids while helping them heal from their trauma. If you have an interest in learning more about foster to adopt options, let us know.

Call Jane at 800-799-0450

GET YOUR FOSTER LICENSE IN 100 DAYS! Homes for kids 10-18 are desperately needed.