HAMPTON, Va. — There are thousands of kids available for adoption in Virginia, and one Hampton mother shared her journey from fostering to adopting with News 3.
“I get to watch him grow up; that’s really, really special,” said Raven Bosch.
Bosch has had her now son since he was three days old. She tells News 3 her intent was to foster- not adopt. Fast forward two years, and he became a permanent part of her family.
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“I’m both sad and happy about it, I’m ecstatic to have my son as part of my family, but I also recognize in any adoption there is trauma,” said Bosch.
Data shows there are 5,300 kids in foster care in Virginia- one third of those children are available for adoption. Bosch said the process can be mentally and emotionally draining for all involved.
"There are a lot of emotions related to it and a lot of unknowns and you have to be comfortable in those unknowns,” said Bosch.
Helping families through those unknowns is Kelley Nichols. She and her husband are co-founders of Echo Family Care Partners. Nichols is a trauma practitioner.
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“Kids who have experienced trauma a lot of times ask for love in very unlovable ways, and as parents as caregivers to these kids we have to learn to look past the behaviors and really identify what's the meaning behind the behavior,” said Nichols.
They give items like diapers, shoes and other items to families in need, to hopefully prevent kids from even going into the foster care system, which in Virginia, isn't great.
“Virginia is in 50th place for permanency, we means that we do a really poor job of getting kids into a permanent home before they age out of foster care,” said Nichols.
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Making the classes and seminars Echo provides for foster and adoptive parents- that much more important. Bosch said those resources, and her faith, makes the bumpy process worth it.
“It’s Jesus and therapy, is what we say in our house, so it’s a combination of both,” said Bosch.
If you're interested in fostering, start with your local child welfare office. For more information on adopting, click here.
