In episode 215, we have the privilege of sitting down with Jenn Hook to glean from her experiences in the foster care system and hear about her newly released book, Thriving Families. Jenn is the Founder and Executive Director of Replanted. She’s also the author of Replanted: Faith Based Support for Adoptive and Foster Families.
- Jenn’s background in the foster care system (5:01)
- Uncovering the complexity that lies within the foster care system (9:16)
- Children’s desire for their birth family (11:30)
- Trauma and healing are not a linear growth pattern (12:06)
- Expecting children’s behavior to change based on a placement (14:00)
- Addressing the ‘popular narrative’ among Christians (15:00)
- Challenging the status quo in adoption (18:56)
- Children want to know their birth families (19:10)
- Changing the way we talk about birth parents and cheering them on (19:30)
- The importance of hearing from those with lived experiences and learning (23:50)
- Sitting with others in their pain and validating their feelings (32:00)
- The importance of cultural and social adjustment for foster and adoptive families (34:00)
- Involving mentors in a child’s life that look like them (40:00)
- Practical advice on navigating relationships with birth families (44:00)
- How to be in relationship with birth families (47:00)
- Recapping the conversation (58:00)
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Resources and Links from the show
Replanted: Faith-Based Support for Adoptive and Foster Families
