Let It Be Us: A Foster Care & Adoption podcast

37:46

Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) includes children and young people in foster care that are in extreme risk. While poorly defined legally, the impact upon this population is immense. Two Child Welfare Agency Executive Directors involved in research and programming to serve this population speak on our podcast about their experience and potential opportunities. Hear from Susan McConnell, Executive Director of Let It Be Us and Carina Santa Maria, Executive Director of Shelter, Inc. McConnell is involved in program design and implementation perspective as a Doctorate in Social Work candidate at the University of Southern California. Santa Maria is an adjunct professor at Dominican University’s School of Social Work, where she teaches a graduate level human trafficking course. In addition, she has spent 10+ years working in the anti-trafficking field, specifically with survivors and program implementation and evaluation. Learn more about Let It Be Us at letitbeus.org .…

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What Do I Do When a Child Arrives? 25:41

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25:41

The team comes together to give tips and advice for how to navigate the first time a child is placed in your home - or any time they come! Learn from Let It Be Us Founder and Executive Director Susan McConnell, MBA, Let It Be Us Directors Vanessa Baie, LCSW, and Karron Shaw, MJ, as well as seasoned foster parent and Foster Parent Licensing Coach, Cathy Newbury about what to do when a child arrives and how to navigate that important relationship. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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What Do I Need if I Adopt?: Practical Tips to Be Ready 10:40

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10:40

Parenting is a long road no matter how you do it. This mini-episode explores tips and advice on how to support yourself as a foster parent, adoptive parent, and ways to ensure you have what you need to care for children throughout their lives. Let It Be Us Director Karron Shaw, MJ, and Foster Parent Licensing Coach Cathy Newbury give advice and suggestions in this chat. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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How Does a Child in Foster Care End Up Adopted? 27:17

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27:17

The path of foster care that leads to adoption is often long and complicated, with legal jargon like “TPR” (termination of parental rights), but Let It Be Us Director Karron Shaw, MJ, and Foster Parent Licensing Coach Cathy Newbury - who has also adopted from foster care! - are here to explain it to you. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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How Can I Connect with the Biological Family? Practical Tips for Developing Relationships 11:14

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11:14

Feeling open to having a relationship with the biological family is the first step, in this mini-episode, Alex Montgomery, JD, Deputy Director at Let It Be Us and mother through adoption, and Rachel Hoyt, seasoned foster parent, talk about the concrete steps they’ve both taken to open the door to relationships with the biological family. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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But What About the Child’s Biological Family? 30:18

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30:18

While children in foster care have experienced difficult situations with their biological families, many children still feel a strong bond with them, and many of them will return to their families of origin. Alex Montgomery, JD, Deputy Director at Let It Be Us and mother through adoption, talks about how she developed a relationship with the birth mother of her daughter, while Rachel Hoyt, seasoned foster parent, talks about how she has successfully opened the door to ongoing relationships with biological families that have continued even after the children reunified with their families of origin. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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How Can I Help? Practical Tips for Supporting the Child in Your Care 18:33

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18:33

In this special mini-episode, Cathy Newbury, Foster Parent Licensing Coach and seasoned foster parent, talks about how she ensures the children in her care receive all the support they need, while Dr. Heather Risser from our partner Northwestern University Family Care Parenting Lab talks from a therapeutic perspective about how to support the children. As mentioned in this episode, one way to find supports through DCFS is through Spider: https://spider.dcfs.illinois.gov/ . To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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Why Kids Behave That Way: Diagnosable Difficulties 24:44

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24:44

Children who have experienced foster care, or other kinds of difficult life experiences, may have a hard time adjusting - or may have mental or behavioral challenges that have never been diagnosed. Cathy Newbury, Foster Parent Licensing Coach and seasoned foster parent, chats with Dr. Heather Risser from our partner Northwestern University Family Care Parenting Lab about what children in foster care experience and how to understand what they need. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org . To learn more about the Family Care Parenting Lab, visit sites.northwestern.edu/familycareparentinglab…

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Who Is Let It Be Us? A Conversation with Susan McConnell 27:22

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27:22

Susan McConnell, MBA, founded Let It Be Us after seeing many children in foster care wait for years to be adopted. She designed programs based on her recruiting and human resources backgrounds, using technology to help waiting children in foster care. To learn more about Let It Be Us, and connect with Susan, find us at www.letitbeus.org .…

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What Is Permanency? Helping a Child Find Stability 26:59

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26:59

Two experts walk us through what permanency means to children in foster care and the importance of stability and consistency in the development of children. Join us as Let It Be Us Director Vanessa Baie and Heather Risser from our partner Northwestern University Family Care Parenting Lab talk about the importance of connection for children in foster care. To learn more about becoming a foster parent or joining our database of licensed homes find us at www.letitbeus.org…

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Season Two Trailer 3:00

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3:00

At Let It Be Us, we believe that the path to foster care begins with education, and the best way to educate is to reach people where they are which is why we started the Let It Be Us Foster Care and Adoption podcast where we dive deep into topics related to fostering children, foster care in Illinois, as well as adoption. We hope you enjoy, learn something and perhaps decide to become a foster parent yourself! Season Two of the Let It Be Us: A Foster Care and Adoption Podcast was launched in November 2022 by the Illinois nonprofit organization Let It Be Us. Foster Care professionals and parents speak on issues important to the journey of foster care and adoption. If you live in the State of Illinois and want to become a foster parent or learn about waiting children, go to www.letitbeus.org…

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The Big Picture: A Conversation with Let It Be Us Founder, Susan McConnell 30:43

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30:43

The issues facing the foster care system and the children in care are big, but the solution is simple: stable families for every child. In the season finale of our very first podcast series, Susan McConnell, the Founder of Let It Be Us, talks about the importance of placing children in care in a home that best fits their needs and can support them for as long or as little as they need it. To learn more about Let It Be Us and our programs, go to www.letitbeus.org…

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The Nuts and Bolts of Becoming a Licensed Foster Parent: A How-To with Vanessa Baie 14:23

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14:23

The licensing process can be confusing, but Let It Be Us Director of Licensing Coaching and Placement Support Vanessa Baie has got you covered! Listen to get an overview of what you can expect in the licensing process. If you are ready to get licensed, join our FREE Licensing Coaching Program to get any last lingering questions answered and help finding the right licensing agency for you. You can find the form at www.letitbeus.org…

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Fostering Teens! (OMG!): A Conversation with Elizabeth and Chris Rodriguez 33:10

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33:10

Many people fear teens, whether in foster care or not, but Elizabeth and Chris don’t. It may not always be easy, but the journey with teens is definitely rewarding and Elizabeth and Chris go into all the details. If you are interested in fostering teens, learn more about our Springboard to Adulthood Program at www.letitbeus.org…

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It’s Easier Than You Think: A Conversation with Breanna and Maxwell Fritz 33:46

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