How To Advocate for Your Foster Child in School

Fostering a child can be a rewarding experience. If you’re considering this path for yourself, what an awesome way to support youth in need of help. You’ll learn in your foster parent training that trauma impacts a child’s life in many ways. One of the things that can be greatly impacted is a child’s learning. Your foster child will need you to support them in multiple ways. 

When it comes to their education, your advocacy is extremely important. They’ll need to know that someone close to them is on their side.

This article will help you to understand why it’s important to advocate for your foster child and how to go about doing it.

The Impact Trauma Has on Learning

Studies have shown that as many as 80% of foster children struggle with mental health challenges stemming from significant trauma in their lives. Many kids in foster care have spent a great deal of their young lives with their brain functioning in self-protection or survival mode. When that happens, it makes it hard for them to focus on learning. 

Even though there’s less of a need to be so focused on self-protection or survival with you in their life, this is not an immediate fix. Over time, your foster child will learn to trust and depend on you. But for now, education is still a top priority and needs to be dealt with. They will need you more than ever to be their voice when it comes to ensuring they have everything they need to have every opportunity for success.

Tips To Advocate for Your Foster Child

1. Know Your Rights as a Foster Parent

Start with understanding your rights as a foster parent. As a representative of the child, you have every right to be heard and be involved in the decision-making process for your foster child. Familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations in your state so you can know if your foster child’s rights are being violated.

2. Speak Up

If you feel the rights of your foster child are being violated, you have every right as a foster parent to speak up on the child’s behalf.  

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced advocating for your foster child in school?

• Navigating special education needs
• Communicating with teachers and staff
• Understanding my rights as a foster parent
• Ensuring my child receives necessary resources

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3. Familiarize Yourself With Your Foster Child’s Case Plan

Your foster child’s case plan will outline their goals, needs, and the types of services they require based on their needs and special circumstances. As a foster parent, it’s important for you to understand that plan so you can be sure they’re receiving everything they’re entitled to.

4. Stay Informed

Stay on top of your foster child’s progress. You can do this by meeting regularly with their teachers, social workers, and other professionals involved in your foster child’s care. This will help you to know if their needs are being met and if you need to do more on behalf of the child.

5. Document Everything

It's important to have as much documentation as possible when it comes to the needs of your foster child. When reaching out to the appropriate people, you may want to use email or some form of communication that allows you to keep a paper trail. If that is not possible, take good notes so that you have as much as possible in writing to support your foster child’s needs. Creating a life book for your foster child is a great way to do this.

There may be a need to request additional services or change the child’s services. Maintaining a paper trail helps with making such requests as needed.

6. Stay Involved

Part of the “building trust” experience between the foster parent and foster child is showing up. When you, as the foster parent, show up for the foster child, it helps to build the relationship. You and the foster child will both benefit from the “whole” school experience. From volunteering to being present at extracurricular activities, this will go a long way to building your relationship as a foster parent and child and it will always keep you in front of your foster child’s educational experiences.

Get Started at Intercept Health

Advocating for your foster child is like advocating for your own child. A heart as big as yours is ready and willing to make a difference in the life of a child. Every child deserves the opportunity to have a great educational experience. There are many kids in Virginia who could use someone like you to speak out on their behalf. 

If you’re ready to be that person, take our qualification quiz today!