Transitions

A growing number of children are experiencing the multiple moves that are an inherent part of the Foster Care System. Early Permanence for children is vital for healthy bonding and attachment to their forever families. In our time, open adoptions are the norm and we see a growing number of older child adoptions with children who have spent at least some time in the Foster Care System. These children from hard places have experienced challenges in their early lives. They deserve and require a gentle approach when being transitions to their forever families. Foster Care is by its very nature, a temporary solution to a long-term challenge. Children who suffer repeated disruptions of caregivers are at risk for developmental delays, poor self-regulation and behavioral and mental health problems. The earlier in a child's life that we are able to accomplish permanence the better for the child's attachment capacity and long-term outcomes When an at-risk child is moved to her permanent home, we are disrupting her primary caregiver once again. It is incumbent upon us to undertake this process with care and sensitivity. Our primary goals are to Preserve the Child's Attachment Capacity and to Support their Prior Connections. A traumatic transition can lead to long-term effects on the child and indeed the entire Adoptive family. Transition is the slow and measured relinquishment of the nurture, care and discipline of a child by her current caregivers and the assumption of these same duties by her new Adoptive Parents. When embarked on in a thoughtful, tender manner, transition can be a gentle process that enlarges both the child's sense of self and the circle of those who love and care for them. "In this book, foster and adoptive families will find many practical suggestions and tips that I believe will serve as anchors as they embark on the less than calm seas of transitioning children. Those who read will also find an unwavering commitment to remaining child-focused while having empathy for all involved in the complex dance that is transition."
About the Author: This is the first book from Jaynee Wiebe Way. Drawing on her experiences as both a foster parent and an adoptive parent, Ms. Way is intimately connected to the art of transition. Ms. Way has been blessed to raise 2 stepchildren and 2 birth children, In 2008 She and her husband, David embarked on the journey into foster care and adoption. In 2009 her son Cohen joined her family through Foster Care and Adoption. With children aged five all the way up to the mid twenties, who have joined her family through marriage, birth and adoption, Ms. Way is faced daily with the challenges of meeting the varied needs of children who become part of our families in different ways. As a foster Parent, she has participated in transitioning several children to their forever families. Having experienced both smooth and bumpy transitions, she has come to understand the needs of children when commencing a move from one caregiver to another. When approached cautiously and with intentionality, children thrive in their new adoptive homes. When the process is initiated with little thought or understanding of the psychological needs of children, attachment injury and serious emotional wounding can be the result for our vulnerable children. These experiences have uniquely qualified Ms. Way to present the art of transition from many perspectives. She is above all a Mother; a Stepmother, Birth Mother, Foster Mother and Adoptive Mother. Her journey has taken her through grief, joy to enormous personal growth. Ms. Way is active in educating fellow Foster Parents and Adoptive Parents on issues of attachment and transition. She makes her home in Kelowna, British Columbia, with her husband David and her two youngest children. .