Hamilton CFS - Building a Shared 'Why'

This training is available only to parents and professionals within Hamilton Child and Family Supports. This may not to be shared with others outside of the organization.

This presentation invites foster, kinship, and adoptive families to create a shared vision for why they are opening their home to additional children. Designed especially for families in the early stages of the journey, this training encourages parents to move beyond simply asking their biological children to agree with the decision and instead invite them into meaningful conversations where their voice matters. Parents will explore how to help children understand the deeper purpose behind fostering/adopting, develop a sense of shared mission, and build language and family narratives that strengthen belonging, empathy, and responsibility toward others. While this training is especially valuable before or during the early stages of fostering or adoption, it’s never too late to begin building a shared “why” together.

Learning Objectives:

• Increase ability to articulate personal and family motivations for fostering, kinship care, or adoption.

• Identify at least one benefit of helping bio kids have “buy-in.”

• Explore strategies for involving biological children in family decisions and conversations related to caregiving.

• Examine how family narratives and language shape children’s understanding of caregiving, belonging, and responsibility to others.