To BLog or Not To Blog!

I have real trouble with the computer technology of today. We finally got high speed Internet, which I thought would make it easier to keep up on things like blogging. But now everybody is doing twittering, whatever that is. And everyone has FaceBook pages where they talk back and forth. I don't know how to do any of that, I am just learning about blogging. Days go by quickly and I realize it has been months, not weeks, since my last blog. I will try to do better.

Being involved with a non-profit organization about foster care and adoption is quite a challenge. We are a totally volunteer staff. Most of us have other jobs, plus children, families and other resopnsibilities. It is hard to keep up with all of that. Yet we are committed to working with the child welfare system to ensure that children and families are kept safe.

At the Kansas Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, we want to be sure that the foster, adoptive and kinship families involved in the Kansas child welfare system are included in decisions about children and families. We work hard to be involved with the state's activities in this area. Our state is not as large as some, but even divided into five regions, it's still a lot of territory to cover. We have five regional vice presidents, and the vice president for Region 4 is especially challenged to cover the entire western half of the state.

We are constantly working to increased our membership, to be sure that we have families involved from all the different regions of our state. That is important because we have learned that the issues in Kansas City are very different indeed from the issues in places like Colby, Garden City, Liberal, and even the little community of Canton where I live.

Familes ask frequently "What can KFAPA do for me?" Really, the question should be "What can I do to help KFAPA?" This association represents the foster, adoptive and kinship families of the state. We work with the executive levels of agencies like SRS and KDHE, that make the policies that govern the child welfare system. Those agencies ask our association for input whenever they want input from "the families". KFAPA then contacts our members, asking for their input, and relaying that input back to the agencies. I have heard people say "They don't really want to know, they are just asking to look good."

For the past two years, I have sat in on meetings with these agencies, reviewing policies and licensing standards etc. I can assure you that they aren't just asking to look good. The input that the agencies receive is carefully weighed and considered. We've all heard the old saying "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". It is true. We hear often that we should contact our congressmen about issues, because the more people they hear from, the more consideration is given to the vote. It is true there and it is true here.

How can you make a difference? I am making a difference (or trying to) by being involved with KFAPA and serving on the board. We want families to contact us, both when there is an issue of concern and when there is something going right. Most of the committees that we have require very little time and effort. Most of the work can be done by emails and phone calls, rather than in person. In today's technologically advanced age, it is so simple to participate.

Look us up at KFAPA.org. Contact us. Join. Let's all work together for the children and families of Kansas.