Marsh Foundation Staff Present at National Foster Care Conference

VAN WERT, Ohio – The Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) recently held its annual national conference in Orlando, Fla. The Marsh Foundation is a member of the association and not only sent foster families and staff to the conference for training this year, but was also privileged to have a team of staff present a workshop at the conference.

Laura Beckett-Avery, foster care supervisor and Pamela Reagan, foster care consultant, presented ‘Don’t Take it Personally, but I Hate You,’ a workshop focused on building positive relationships between foster child and parent. “Building positive relationships can be just as difficult as it is important,” said Beckett-Avery. “Foster children’s past relationships and experiences often create walls that hinder their ability to bond with others,” she said.

The workshop focused on working through a child’s preconceived notions and earning trust. “A main motivation for becoming a foster parent is to help children feel safe and cared for. It can be discouraging when this is met with resistance from the foster children,” said Reagan.

There were nearly 30 attendees at the workshop. In addition to leading the workshop, Reagan and Beckett-Avery had the opportunity, along with other Marsh Foundation foster parents, to attend other workshops. “It was a great learning experience for us and a great opportunity to gather information and resources and bring it back to others at The Marsh,” said Beckett-Avery.

The Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) was established in 1988 to develop, promote, and support Treatment Foster Care (TFC). Since that time, FFTA has grown to become the only national, non-profit association that represents treatment foster care programs across North America. FFTA’s more than 400 member agencies are located in nearly every U.S. state and Canadian province and provide treatment foster care services to over 50,000 children and youth each year and a larger array of child welfare and mental health services to over 600,000 children and youth.

Serving children and families since 1922, The Marsh Foundation is a not-for-profit children’s services agency that provides behavioral treatment in a variety of settings. Services include group homes, foster care, an intensive treatment program and independent living. Located in Van Wert, Ohio, the organization’s group homes are licensed for up to 30 children ages 7 – 17, offers an on-campus school for grades 2 – 12 and provides a variety of clinical services to group home residents, foster children and community members.

The mission of The Marsh Foundation is to inspire hope, to teach and to care for children and families. For more information about The Marsh, visit www.marshfoundation.org.

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