Understanding Birth Family Relationships Launches on FosterParentCollege.com®
April 26, 2018
Eugene, OR — When parents bring children into their family through adoption, it is a lifetime commitment. However, adopted children are also permanently connected to members of their biological families and have a need to understand that connection. By supporting their child's relationship with members of the birth family, adoptive parents can enhance their own bond with their child. To help parents find the right balance for their family, FosterParentCollege.com has released the new online course, Understanding Birth Family Relationships.
This interactive course weaves together interviews with parents, adopted children, and a birth mother, along with guidance from Audra Langley, PhD, Executive Director of the UCLA TIES for Families program. Dr. Langley explains the benefits of an open relationship for the whole family and demonstrates how parents can bridge a connection with birth family members even with little to no direct contact.
“It is very helpful for adoptive parents to set the tone for open communication, so that their child feels comfortable sharing his or her feelings about birth family members,” says Dr. Langley. In this course, the insights from the interviewed parents and children show how this open communication is vital, from talking openly about the adoption, to organizing play dates with siblings, to supporting visits with birth parents when children are interested and developmentally ready.
This 2-credit course is now available, 24/7, on the Foster Parent College website, along with 60 other interactive, self-paced courses designed specifically for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents.
Development of Understanding Birth Family Relationships was made possible through Grant #R44 DA026644 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Northwest Media, Inc., parent company of FosterParentCollege.com.
For more information about Understanding Birth Family Relationships contact Lee White at Lee@northwestmedia.com.
