Native Americans are up to four times more likely to have their children taken and placed into foster care than their non-Native counterparts.
With support from FireLodge Children & Family Services, many Citizen Potawatomi Nation foster children successfully and safely return to their families. FireLodge answered some questions frequently asked by prospective families interested in fostering and adopting Potawatomi children.
While many potential foster parent applicants hesitated during 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tribal member Lacey Buettner opened up her home for the first time. After working with FireLodge Children & Family Services, she felt confident in stepping up to the task.
FireLodge Children & Family Services advocates for and protects children and vulnerable adults who are at risk of being abused or neglected. Social services and child welfare programs do not stop services, even amidst a global pandemic.
Two CPN staff members join this episode to discuss critical resources their departments offer, including CARES Act funding. We also hear from artists who cultivated a unique art exhibit that brings 12 Citizen Potawatomi and Anishnabe artists together for a spark of beauty during a pandemic.
FireLodge Children & Family Services works diligently to ensure Potawatomi families stay connected. Our work includes encouraging and supporting relationships between foster parents and birth families.
Despite these recent events, FireLodge Children & Family Services continues our work in protecting and preserving Native American families. Child welfare programs do not discontinue services, even during a crisis.
For many families involved in the child welfare system, accessing family support services and navigating court processes requires determination. CPN’s FireLodge Children & Family Services is involved in every child welfare case involving Citizen Potawatomi children across the U.S.
May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the hard work and difficult decisions that come with fostering. Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s FireLodge Children & Family Services strives to place Native foster children in Native homes to kindle a connection to their heritage and culture.
Although AdoptUSKids looks for minority professionals or those working with minority populations, CPN member Kendra Lowden is the first in the program’s history to be both an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe and also an employee working for a tribal nation.