Showing titles in Adoption & Fostering

1979. Jackie Chadwick is 17 and living in a supported bedsit. She’s still close to her foster parents and friends with (aka unofficial minder for) Amanda, their irresponsible daughter, but she’s enjoying her independence–until a fire leaves her temporarily homeless. Jackie’s dad, widower and recovering alcoholic Dave, has just been released from prison and sees this as his chance to make amends. He offers her his spare room–but can their relationship survive him going back on the booze, his gin – loving lady friend and her errant son?

How does a woman go from a normal Midwestern mom to sitting across the table from a bounty hunter? That's what Kathleen English Cadmus wondered as she took one more surreal step in her quest to find and save her teenage daughter, Laura. The beautiful baby Kathleen had adopted from Korea was on the run again, fueled by another manic episode brought on by her bipolar disorder. Having already lost her son Shawn to a tragic accident, Kathleen couldn't bear the thought that she had failed to protect another one of her children.

There are hundreds of thousands of children throughout the world who need forever families. Loving families provide the best conditions for the development and happiness of all children. Every child deserves a loving family. Gathering Israel's Children is a collection of personal experiences of individuals and families who have gathered children into their families through adopting them, mentoring them, and simply loving these children in need.

Step into a world where the hidden resilience and unwavering spirit of foster children take center stage, embarking on a transformative journey like no other. Here, amidst the echoes of forgotten voices, a path of empowerment unfolds—one paved with the profound tool of affirmations that kindle self-worth and inner strength.

At Treetops Foundling Home in Victorian Nuneaton, one special little girl brings sunshine and joy wherever she goes. A favourite of her foster mother, Kitty grows into a beguiling young woman but soon attracts the attention of more than one suitor with questionable intentions. She quickly discovers that her beauty is no protection against the peril she finds herself in, as this innocent young girl makes her way in the music halls and theatres of the big city....

This is a memoir sharing my journey to South Korea to meet my biological family and the feelings I experienced growing up as an interracial adoptee. It touches on pain, abandonment, alienation, racism, love, and more.

The true story of Michael Coll, an Irish child born in a mother/baby home in Stranorlar, County Donegal, Ireland, in 1944, and how his journey lead him to be eventually adopted by an Irish-American family. The audiobook also includes several sections that give a brief history of conditions in Ireland during the '40s, '50s and '60s, when unmarried pregnant women were considered outcasts by their own families, the Catholic Church and the Irish government.

This fully updated edition of The Happy Life Story tells the history of an inspiring children's home project near Nairobi, Kenya. It is told through the eyes of Sharon Emecz, who after 20 years on the corporate treadmill in London, took a career break and spent a month in Africa including volunteering at Happy Life Children's Home. This new edition shares the great progress from 2014 to 2018. There are new stories, case studies, and news about the school and the children's hospital.

While most people meet their child for the first time in a delivery room, some parents have to meet their child in the reception area of an administrative building. Not Always Happy is a humorous and sharp chronicle about adopting and raising a son with Down syndrome from the Maine foster care system. The author quickly learns that life is best lived by expecting the unplanned when she makes the decision to become a parent in her late forties.

This is not a fairy tale - but it does have suspense, humor, a quest, and a happy ending. When Jason and Pam Ogden decided to adopt a baby, they had no idea that their adoption process would stretch over a period of two years and that their baby would be a toddler by the time they were able to bring him home. Taken straight from Pam’s personal travel journal, He Made Me Brave chronicles the long-awaited emotional trip she and her husband took to South Korea to meet their new son.

The secrets, lies, and layers of deception about Diane Dewey’s origins were meant for her protection - but eventually, they imploded. Living with her family in suburban Philadelphia, Diane had grown up knowing she was born in Stuttgart and adopted at age one from an orphanage. She’d been told her biological parents were dead. Then, in 2002, when she was 47 years old, Diane got a letter from Switzerland: Her biological father, Otto, wanted to bring her into his life. With that, her world shifted on its axis.

Elijah, seven years old, is covered in scars and has a history of disruptive behaviour. His adoptive mother Nikki believes that she and her husband Obi are strong enough to accept his difficulties - and that being white will not affect her ability to raise a black son. Elijah's birth mother Deborah loves her son like the world has never known. Elijah thinks it's his fault they can't be together. Each of them faces more challenges than they could have dreamed, but just as Elijah starts to settle in, a shocking event rocks their fragile peace and the result is devastating.

Are you feeling drawn to adopt but your mind is afraid, confused, or overwhelmed by stories you've heard in the news and comments from other people? As an adoptive mom of a sibling pair, I am often asked about the foster care adoption process. I often share my own stories and stories I've been told from those I know who have navigated this journey. This is the basis for why this book came to life—to share stories with others who are considering adopting through the foster care system and to raise awareness about the children who are currently waiting in the system for their forever family.

"When They Run: Understanding, Preventing, and Addressing Runaway Behavior in Foster Children" is an indispensable guide for foster parents, social workers, and anyone committed to supporting vulnerable youth. Experienced foster parent and youth mentor Juan Rodriguez Aceves, drawing from almost a decade of hands-on experience with more than 100 foster children, offers a unique perspective that combines heartfelt understanding with actionable strategies.

In the intricate landscape of foster care, LGBTQ+ youth navigate a unique and often challenging journey that demands our attention, understanding, and action. "LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care: Beyond the Rainbow" offers an essential, comprehensive guide for foster parents, social workers, educators, mental health professionals, and allies committed to supporting these resilient young people.

Adoption is for parents looking to begin or to build their families. It is for children in search of a forever home. Adoption is for sharing . . . life, love, and dreams. Angela Elwell Hunt presents a unique book, one that is both personal story and guidebook. She describes her own odyssey in adopting two international children, weaving this with practical information on issues faced in adoption. She explores the very real hopes, fears, and doubts that surround prospective parents, while simultaneously taking the reader through the adoption process from A-Z. The book is packed full of ...

Making babies. For some, it’s virtually effortless – an accident, a “happy surprise”, or an easily executed plan. But for others, this almost universal drive to start a family does not come quite so effortlessly. In fact, for many, it’s can be a frustrating and expensive quest that in some cases never pays off, leaving them childless. These people dearly want what many of us barely give a second thought: having a baby. To start a family. To be a parent. And these people will go to remarkable, at times almost unbelievable lengths, to do just that. Carry On is about those people.

Are you ready to change a child's life – and your own? "The Foster Care Challenge" is your comprehensive guide to navigating the rewarding yet complex world of foster care. Written by Juan Rodriguez Aceves, a seasoned foster parent with over a decade of experience and more than 100 children welcomed into his home, this book offers unparalleled insights into the realities of fostering.

Looking for an inspiring story? As you listen to this story, I hope it will encourage you. In this true story, you will cry and laugh. This story is about a little girl that grew into a woman at the age of six. Writing this book has been a challenge for my family and me. Writing my story has brought healing to my family and me.

Falling pregnant as a teenager in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to the convent in Co. Tipperary to be looked after as a fallen woman. She cared for her baby for three years until the Church took him and sold him, like countless others, to America for adoption. She spent the next 50 years secretly searching for him, unaware that he was searching for her from across the Atlantic.