The purpose of foster care is to give children a reprieve from what was an unsafe living condition, moving them into what the Department of Social Services has deemed to be a safe environment. The word ‘foster’ is synonymous with ‘stand-in’ or ‘substitute.’ So ideally, while this ‘fostering’ happens, long term solutions are being formulated for a child’s well being and permanency.
During May, Foster Care Awareness Month, we are sharing tools originally compiled by Texas CASA to explain foster care to a variety of audiences.
Reading for Adults
Emily’s Dragon is a cinematic story, told from a young girl’s perspective. The video follows Emily’s journey as she is removed from her home and placed in foster care. It highlights how Emily’s CASA volunteer helped her though this dark and confusing time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In9RdCyUFwA
Based on this short film, our friends at Texas CASA created Emily’s Story, a 12-part, long-form article that dives into the experiences of this character in more detail. The story is fictional, but based on real experiences of children CASA has served as they move into and transition through the foster care system. Texas CASA explains that “the article puts the reader in the shoes of both Emily and her CASA volunteer Maria—and contextualizes their narratives with in-depth explainer sections.”
Fictional stories are important tools, because we often can not share real life stories due to confidentiality restraints and our respect for the children and families we serve. Emily’s Story helps readers understand real-life situations that many children face.
