CASEBOOK
By Christine Weber August 28, 2023


At Circle of Living Hope Child Placing Agency, we believe that every child deserves a loving and nurturing environment to flourish and grow. While fostering a child of any age is a remarkable act of compassion, there is an urgent need for foster parents willing to embrace teenagers with open hearts. Teenagers facing adversity deserve the opportunity to experience the transformative power of unconditional love, patience, and understanding. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of fostering teens and how this simple act can make an extraordinary difference in their lives.

The Great Need for Foster Parents for Teens

Teenagers in the foster care system often face unique challenges. Many of them have experienced instability, trauma, or neglect, which can leave lasting emotional scars. Sadly, the number of foster homes specifically catering to teenagers is far too limited compared to the demand. As these young individuals strive to find their identity and navigate through adolescence, they require stable and supportive environments to help them overcome their past struggles.

  1. Providing Stability and Consistency

By becoming a foster parent for a teenager, you are offering them a stable and consistent living situation. Stability can be a catalyst for healing and growth. A nurturing environment where a teenager feels safe and secure can set the stage for rebuilding trust and forming healthy relationships.

  1. Fostering Trust and Emotional Bonds

Teenagers in foster care often have experienced broken trust and disrupted attachments in their lives. As a foster parent, you have the opportunity to foster a strong emotional bond built on trust and understanding. By offering a safe space, you provide them with a chance to learn that genuine care and support do exist.

  1. Supporting Their Personal Development

During the teenage years, young individuals are navigating critical developmental milestones. By being a foster parent, you can help them explore their interests, talents, and aspirations. Encouraging their personal growth and supporting their dreams can empower them to overcome challenges and seize opportunities for a brighter future.

The Impact of Unconditional Love, Patience, and Understanding

  1. Building Self-Esteem and Confidence

Unconditional love is a powerful force that can help teenagers develop a positive self-image. It provides them with the reassurance that they are valued and worthy despite their past experiences or mistakes. With patience and understanding, foster parents can help teens build their self-esteem, encouraging them to believe in their potential and capabilities.

  1. Emotional Healing and Resilience

Patience and understanding are key components in healing emotional wounds. Foster parents who show patience during difficult moments and demonstrate empathy can help teens develop emotional resilience. They learn that it's okay to make mistakes and that setbacks don't define them.

  1. Empowering a Sense of Belonging

Feeling understood and accepted is essential for any teenager's emotional well-being. Foster parents who genuinely listen and acknowledge their feelings create an environment of belonging. This sense of belonging can significantly impact a teenager's ability to form healthy relationships with others and within their communities.


Becoming a foster parent for a teenager is a compassionate and life-changing decision. By providing unconditional love, patience, and understanding, you can offer them the chance to heal, grow, and thrive despite their past challenges. Circle of Living Hope Child Placing Agency encourages all individuals to consider fostering a teenager and making a significant change in their life. Together, we can create a brighter and more hopeful future for these deserving young souls.

By Christine Weber July 19, 2023
When I reflect on my time as a single foster parent for six teenage boys, the memories come rushing back with vivid intensity. The journey was a rollercoaster of emotions, testing my patience and resolve at every turn. In those moments, I would often remind myself that it wasn't simply about the surface-level behaviors they exhibited—it was about understanding the profound "why" behind their actions.

At times, it felt deeply personal. Their anger and resentment seemed directed towards me, as if I were the cause of their frustrations. The weight of their disdain would settle on my shoulders, making me question my abilities and doubting my worth. There were instances when I felt like an absolute failure, grappling with the realization that the changes I longed to witness were not materializing as swiftly as I had hoped.

But amidst the turbulence, a powerful realization took hold—I had to shift my perspective. I began to redirect my focus from the external "what" to the internal "why." I cultivated curiosity, delving deeper into their complex lives, uncovering their histories, their pain, and their unmet needs. With this newfound understanding, my heart expanded, and I discovered a wellspring of patience and unconditional love within me.

I learned that being a foster parent meant more than offering shelter and stability. It meant sowing seeds of trust, resilience, and self-worth in these young souls. The importance of these seeds cannot be overstated. They may not sprout immediately, but life has a way of activating and nurturing them over time. Eventually, these seeds will take root, and the children we've cared for will draw upon the tools we provided as they navigate the tumultuous path of adolescence and adulthood.

So, to all foster parents out there, I implore you—keep planting seeds. In the face of uncertainty, frustration, and self-doubt, remember the immense power you hold. Your unwavering love, patience, and understanding are the catalysts for transformation. Every word, every gesture, every act of kindness you bestow upon these children leaves an indelible mark, shaping their lives in ways you may not fully comprehend.
Embrace the beauty of the journey, for in the nurturing of these seeds lies the potential to change a child's trajectory forever. And as you witness the resilience and growth that blooms within them, you will know in your heart that you have made an everlasting impact.
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What You Do Matters

Becoming a foster parent with Circle of Living Hope allows you to help vulnerable teenagers& chldren in need. Here's a brief overview of how you can make a difference:


-Research & Learn: Understand Circle of Living Hope's mission and values.


-Attend Information Sessions: Attend agency sessions to learn about the fostering process

.

-Meet with a COLH staff member: Discuss your interest in becoming a foster parent.


-Complete Application & Background Checks: Fill out the application and undergo checks.


-Attend Training & Classes: Participate in required training and parenting classes.


-Provide a Safe Home: Offer a stable and nurturing environment.


-Show Love, Patience & Understanding: Support the teenager emotionally.


-Advocate for Their Needs: Be their advocate and liaise with professionals.


-Support Growth & Development: Encourage their interests and education.


-Participate in Support Groups: Engage in foster parent support groups.


-Be Open to Adoption: Consider adoption if the opportunity arises.


Your commitment as a foster parent can positively transform a Child's or teenager's life and offer them hope for a better future.



Give Me A Break

The need for babysitters is crucial for foster parents at Circle of Living Hope, especially when they have multiple children in their care. Foster parents often face various responsibilities, including attending meetings, appointments, and work commitments. Having reliable babysitters provides much-needed support and allows foster parents to meet their obligations while ensuring the children's safety and well-being.


Here's how babysitters can be very helpful for foster parents at Circle of Living Hope:


Respite and Relief: Foster parenting can be emotionally and physically demanding. Babysitters offer respite and relief, giving foster parents time to rest and recharge, reducing burnout and stress.


Flexible Support: Babysitters provide flexible assistance, allowing foster parents to manage unforeseen situations or emergencies without disrupting the children's routines.


Maintaining Stability: Children in foster care often benefit from consistent routines and stable environments. Babysitters help maintain this stability even when foster parents need to be away temporarily.


Specialized Care: Some children in foster care may have unique needs or require specialized care. Babysitters trained to handle specific challenges can ensure that these children receive the attention and care they require.


Socialization and Fun: Babysitters can engage the children in activities and playtime, fostering socialization and creating positive experiences for the children.


Supporting Foster Parent Training: Babysitters can step in during foster parent training sessions or support group meetings, ensuring that foster parents have the opportunity to attend these essential events.


Building Trust: Regular babysitters can build strong relationships with the children over time, promoting a sense of trust and comfort in the foster home.


 Babysitters play a vital role in supporting foster parents at Circle of Living Hope. Their assistance allows foster parents to fulfill their responsibilities effectively, maintain stability for the children, and ensure that the children receive the care, love, and attention they need to thrive during their time in foster care.

Lending A Helping Hand

The need for Respite providers is essential for foster parents at Circle of Living Hope as they play a crucial role in offering temporary relief and support. Respite care involves providing short-term care for foster children, allowing foster parents to take a break from their responsibilities. Here's how Respite providers can be very helpful for foster parents at Circle of Living Hope:


Temporary Relief: Foster parenting can be emotionally and physically demanding. Respite providers offer a temporary break to foster parents, allowing them to rest, recharge, and prevent burnout.


Flexibility: Respite care can be tailored to the specific needs of foster families, providing flexibility in scheduling and accommodating various situations.


Preventing Disruptions: When foster parents face unforeseen emergencies or personal commitments, Respite providers step in to care for the children, preventing disruptions in their routines and stability.


Specialized Care: Some foster children may have unique needs or medical requirements. Respite providers with specialized training can ensure that these needs are met during temporary care.


Supporting Siblings: Respite care allows siblings in foster care to stay together, even when the primary foster parents need a break, maintaining the continuity of their bond.


Building Relationships: Respite providers who offer regular care can build positive relationships with the children, creating a sense of familiarity and trust within the foster home.


Supporting Foster Parent Training: Respite providers can assist during foster parent training sessions or support group meetings, ensuring that foster parents have the opportunity to attend these vital events.


Preventing Caregiver Fatigue: Caring for foster children can be challenging and emotionally taxing. Respite care prevents caregiver fatigue and enables foster parents to continue providing the best care possible.


 Respite providers play a crucial role in supporting foster parents at Circle of Living Hope. Their temporary care and assistance allow foster parents to take much-needed breaks, prevent disruptions in the children's routines, and maintain stability and continuity within the foster home.

CHILD PLACING AGENCY

CHILD PLACING AGENCY

Circle of Living Hope is a state and federally recognized 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. We are a licensed child placing agency, who verifies homes to provide foster and foster to adopt services. COLH is currently seeking individuals and families who are interested in opening their homes to children and youth in foster care. Additionally, COLH provides after care services to foster children as they transition to independence. These services include: job skill training, college enrollment assistance, guidance in activating after care benefits, housing, tutoring and more.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES

Foster & Adoption Services

COLH provides Child placement and adoption. The very best place for a child to be is in a family.

Family Reunification/ Preservation Services

Family preservation services are short-term, family-based services designed to assist families in crisis by improving parenting and family functioning while keeping children safe.

AfterCare Support/ Guidance

COLH will help and assist youth who are leaving care and need support and guidance giving them a sense of belonging while they are held accountable and given responsibilities

Independent/ Transitional Living

COLH plans on providing Independent living and Transitional Living (housing) once we obtain proper licenses and certifications from the Texas Department of Family and protective Services. 
Opening up your home to help a child in crisis is certainly a very special gift. But our foster and adoptive parents tell us that caring for a Circle of Living Hope child makes a positive difference in their lives, too. 
  • Mission

    Our mission at COLH is to transform the lives of children and youth through unconditional love, patience and understanding, embraced by a circle of living hope.

  • Vision

    Circle of Living Hope's vision is to assist families, foster children, teens, and foster care alumni. COLH aims to ensure that each child experiences the true meaning of unconditional love, patience and understanding, through faith and spiritual guidance, provided by each child's circle of support, enabling them to grow, heal, and reach maximum potential. Collectively we can make a difference by aiding these children in identifying their true value and potential placed in each and every one of them. Once this new found ability and self perspective is revealed, greatness is born.

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Where People Really Do Matter

Circle of Living Hope Foster Care Child Placing and Adoption Agency is not your ordinary work place. Employees are family, and personal well-being and growth is supported by a culture that believes each one of us has greatness. Dedicated, compassionate, and motivated individuals will find opportunity to advance and excel.
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