Belonging Network

Did you know that this year we awarded 29 bursaries to youth through our BC Orca, Joy MacPhail, and Vancouver Film Studios Indigenous Bursary programs? These bursaries will support their educational pursuits, including college, university, trade programs, and more. 🎓 None of this would be possible without our incredible partners and donors. “I want to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks for awarding me the 2024 Joy MacPhail Youth Bursary. This support means a great deal to me, and I am honoured to have been chosen.” – 2024 recipient expression of thanks. Read more about this year’s recipients and their future goals: https://lnkd.in/gR4Eegjp #Bursaries #YouthSupport

Our 2023-24 Impact Report is here! The past two years have been transformative for us. While continuing to support adoptive families, we also wanted to expand our reach to the growing number of permanency families out there and youth in and from government care. This report highlights our first year as the Belonging Network and the strides we’ve made in broadening our impact. A huge thank you goes out to our funders, donors, partners, community members, Board, staff, and everyone who supported this transformation. Our work would not be possible without you. Read about our year and everything we accomplished together in our Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/gkS436ys #ImpactReport

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Our office is closed in observance. As an organization, the Belonging Network is committed to listening, learning, and participating in truth and reconciliation. We stand witness to the harm inflicted on Indigenous peoples whose children have been taken from them through the residential school system, the Sixties Scoop, and the modern child welfare system. The impacts of separating generations of Indigenous children from their families, cultures, and communities are still deeply felt today. To read more about our commitment to truth and reconciliation, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gp2FjZvX Here are some of the actions we’re taking to live that commitment. • We provide our entire staff and Board with training through the Indigenous Perspectives Society. • One of the reasons we changed our name was in response to feedback from respected Indigenous friends and partners. They let us know that because of the ways adoption has harmed Indigenous families and communities, a name change would be a meaningful step in our truth and reconciliation journey. • We engage Indigenous consultants and advisors to inform our program development, including new programs requested by and designed for Indigenous participants. • We’re revising our foundational Adoption Education Program (AEP). The new version will be called Learning for Everyone in Adoption and Permanency – LEAP. Every module of LEAP has been reviewed through an Indigenous lens by Indigenous consultants, and will reflect legislative changes that recognize the inherent right of Indigenous peoples over their children’s welfare. • Youth-serving organizations who tried out our Stepping Stones life skills curriculum liked it so much that they asked for an Indigenous version. In response, we worked with Indigenous consultants to develop one and are now ready to pilot Stepping Stones – Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Teaching with Indigenous partners in the year ahead. • In a recent consultation we undertook in partnership with Indigenous Perspectives Society, Indigenous community leaders told us we could contribute by developing Family Finding Tools. In response, we’re using our experience finding “families that fit” to develop Family Finding Tools with an Indigenous lens. We hope these tools will help more Indigenous children and youth find permanency with Indigenous families. • We’re thrilled to have renewed our arrangement with Vancouver Film Studios to administer bursaries specifically for Indigenous students. Our other bursary programs are open to Indigenous youth too. (Continued in the comments) #NDTR #TruthAndReconciliation

For children who have experienced trauma, learning can be a challenge at times. But with the right understanding, we can help them thrive in the classroom! With trauma, the symptoms are often unrecognized because they show up looking like other problems: frustration, acting out, or difficulty concentrating. Students are then frequently misdiagnosed with anxiety, behaviour disorders, or attention disorders rather than identifying trauma as the root of their behaviour. These 10 tips are designed for teachers to better understand children who’ve experienced trauma. Help parents and caregivers in your network advocate for their children by sharing these tips with them: https://loom.ly/01dldOU #TraumaInformed

You’re invited to our 2024 Annual General Meeting—the first as the Belonging Network! 🎉 Join us virtually on September 17 from 7 to 8 p.m. as we reflect on the past year and look ahead to our vision for the future. Voting members will also elect new board members and vote on important motions, including updates to our Constitution and Bylaws to reflect our expanded audience of adoptive and permanency families of all kinds and youth in and from government care. Everyone is welcome to attend! Let’s celebrate our journey together. Register today at: https://loom.ly/EeyMRCY

September is FASD Awareness Month! Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of those exposed to alcohol before birth. FASD often presents as an invisible disability. While a child with FASD may outwardly look like other children, their brain works much differently, which can lead to daily challenges. Each case is unique, and each person with FASD will have different needs and symptoms. Our "All about FASD: A guide for adoptive and permanency families" is a great resource for parents and caregivers looking for guidance on how to support the needs of someone with FASD: https://loom.ly/-Ay3FxI #FASD #FASDAwareness

📣Children and youth in BC foster care are waiting for adoptive families! If you are considering adoption or want to learn more about becoming a parent to a child or teen in need, our Adopt BC kids info session is for you. Join us to learn who BC’s waiting children are, why they come into care, what support they need, and how the adoption process works. Date: September 10 Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Location: Virtual Register here or share with anyone who might be interested: https://loom.ly/uf3Ywko #Adoption #FosterYouth

Working with kinship families? Thanks to the Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives Society, finding information about kinship care programs is now easier than ever! They’ve created a comparison chart that breaks down the key differences between programs, covering everything from funding to medical benefits. Based on the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development’s (MCFD) website as of spring 2024 and verified by MCFD staff, this resource is a must-have for families considering kinship care. Share this guide to help more families find the support they need: https://loom.ly/rW_jBDE #KinshipCare #CommunityResource

Last month, the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) published “Don’t Look Away”, a comprehensive report on the state of child and youth services in BC. “Don’t Look Away” shares the story and tragic death of Colby, an 11-year-old Indigenous child. This case isn’t an isolated incident—it’s unfortunately one of many instances that other children and families in BC face. Through Colby's story, the report highlights some lessons that were learned about the systemic challenges in BC’s child- and family-serving systems: • Disproportionate impact on Indigenous families: Indigenous children are 18 times more likely to enter government care than non-Indigenous children in BC. They make up more than 67% of the children in care, despite representing less than 10% of BC’s child population. • Need for adequate support: Colby’s family, struggling with poverty, intergenerational trauma, and complex health needs, did not receive the necessary support from the beginning. • Workforce challenges: Basic policies and practices were neglected, partly due to an overworked and under-resourced workforce. RCY calls for collective action to address these deep-rooted issues and prevent such tragedies from happening again.❤️ To learn more about these issues and the solutions RCYBC is proposing, read the full report here: https://loom.ly/9Uo_900 Please note: The report covers upsetting topics that may be triggering. If you need support, please reach out to the resources listed on page four of the report.

Calling all professionals who work with kinship families! The Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives Society created a detailed glossary of acronyms to help clarify some of the terms kinship families may encounter. Thanks to the amazing team of volunteers for putting together this valuable resource! 👏 Check out the glossary here and make sure to share it with the families you support: https://loom.ly/IQcU1ms #KinshipCare #CommunityResource