Icebreaker Meetings: Building Relationships Between Birth and Foster Parents
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has developed a great new resource for what they call "Icebreaker Meetings" - small informal meetings between birth and foster families facilitated by a social worker to introduce family members and discuss a child's needs early in the placement process. Visit AECF foundation's icebreaker meeting page to view and download a treasure trove of tools and guides to plan and implement icebreaker meetings. Our April NYSCCC conference call guest speaker Sabra Jackson discussed and advocated for exactly this kind of early birth and family meeting as an effective tool for building birth/foster parent relationships. We concur, and strongly advocate for NY foster care agencies to explore and use these invaluable resources.