Credit hours:
3.00

Course Summary

Especially while in foster care, a young person's care and development, should be the top concern of all supportive adults involved. Foster parents may need to take unique steps to ensure the young person's well-being if the child's cultural background is different from than their own. This means creating an intentional plan to develop a thorough respect and understanding of the young person's religion, cultural values, customs, and beliefs. As outlined in the following course, honoring a child or young person’s cultural connections, practices, and specific needs can give a young person a sense of permanency and belonging that will benefit them in emotional, mental and spiritual ways.

In this course, you can expect to learn:

  • Considerations to weigh before committing to becoming a parent to a young person of a different race

  • Actions to take to ensure children and youth in care maintain a strong sense of racial identity and connection to culture

  • the importance of cultural connections for children and youth in care

  • Strategies to minimize the impact of being placed in a home that is culturally different to a child or youth’s own identity and culture

  • Steps to take to make your home a bicultural home that celebrates a bicultural family

Transracial Parenting in Foster Care and Adoption

Step 1

Review the  "Transracial Parenting in Foster Care and Adoption" guidebook created to help parents and children in transracial homes learn how to thrive in and celebrate their bicultural family; and for children to gain a strong sense of racial identity and cultural connections.

Step 2

Watch the following video to gain perspective of the impact living in a home outside of their own culture or ethnic background can have on a young person in foster care 

Step 3

Review this booklet "In the Rainbow: Cultural Best Practices in Foster Care" created by C. Kimo Alameda, Ph. D, to learn how Hawai'i, the country's most diverse state, is mindful of the trauma youth have experienced coming into the foster care system and how to minimize the impact of being placed in a home that is culturally different to a child or youth’s own identity and culture.

Step 4

Join the discussion in the comments below to answer the following question:

What challenges have you faced, or what challenges might you anticipate facing, as a bicultural foster parent?

Step 5

Finished the module? If you are logged in as a subscribed user, take the quiz to earn your Continuing Education Credit hours and certificate! 

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Course Discussion

dgrogg1981's picture
2 weeks 6 days ago

dgrogg1981 said:

I have 3 foster children, one who is black, one who is mixed black and hispanic, and the other who is native. There are many things to learn about their cultures, beliefs, religions, and their hair. I have really learned alot through friends and watching you tube videos to be able to fix my black kids hair. I always say I don't want them to look like they have a white mom that doesn't know how to fix their hair, so I made it a mission to learn. Now I'm learning about the native culture an dbeliefs and trying to keep her conected to her culture, while she is with me.
ladynick77's picture
1 month 1 week ago

ladynick77 said:

I am currently fostering a caucasian child, I am black and its different but I am excited and look forward to it.
Riahray89's picture
2 months 1 week ago

Riahray89 said:

Just find people and communities that represent the child or children you are caring for! Stay connected to birth family members when you are able to! This will keep them connected with their culture and feel seen.
Shakarmia's picture
2 months 3 weeks ago

Shakarmia said:

Some challenges could be not knowing exactly how to care for hair of another race. Also I think ot would be important to be mindful of family conversations surrounding race to insure to not offend the child. This could be an issue if you are not used to speaking in a family setting that is not bi racial.
SANDRAPRINGLE's picture
2 months 3 weeks ago

SANDRAPRINGLE said:

I myself didn't have any problems with Bicultural foster children and even when they arrive they don't see us differently and we don't see them differently and they also fit in with us even if they don't have our same color. So I can say that I've never have any problems as if now.
SANDRAPRINGLE's picture
2 months 3 weeks ago

SANDRAPRINGLE said:

I myself didn't have any problems with Bicultural foster children and even when they arrive they don't see us differently and we don't see them differently and they also fit in with us even if they don't have our same color. So I can say that I've never have any problems as if now.
benov's picture
3 months 1 week ago

benov said:

The biggest challenge that we have faced so far is being out and about and having people praise or show clear preference to our white children and basically ignore our black children. It's frustrating.
gdmj0311's picture
4 months 2 weeks ago

gdmj0311 said:

there are many challenges to face, my wife and I are white and our foster children are hispanic/native american mix. we are all learning the differences of each culture and things are going good so far because we are all open to learning and trying new things even down to the simple things like food and activities.
morganadams's picture
5 months 1 week ago

morganadams said:

We have fostered several children of a different race and did our very best to embrace everything about them that made them unique! It was a beautiful experience all around.
Cherup's picture
5 months 2 weeks ago

Cherup said:

we have not had the chance to work with any bi-racial or international foster kids. as time goes this training is good for seeing different perspectives of kids from around the country.