Living Alongside COVID-19

Step 1

Please visit the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) regularly updated website about how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, in particular:

• General information about the virus, how it spreads, and different variants 

• Information about staying up to date on vaccines to protect yourself and others

• Understanding your risk and the risks of those around you in order to make the best decisions and protect yourself and your community

• Suggestions for how to cope with various stressors related to COVID-19

Step 3

Support and Connections

It may feel like COVID-19 has slowed down, yet the impact is still very real across the country.  Consider reaching out to older youth previously in your care. They may have left your house 6 months ago or 6 years ago--they could still benefit from being checked on. Even though it may seem as though the worst of the pandemic is over, young people, especially those in and from foster care, are still dealing with repercussions and the long-lasting impact of experiencing a world-wide pandemic.  Some may still be struggling with unemployment, social connections, or stability, and may benefit from a familiar, trusted adult reaching out with care.  During crisis times, making sure you are in regular communication may make all the difference for young people previously in your care. 

• Check-in on them. Make sure they have food, water, and housing.

• Consider also asking about stability (savings, employment), and seeing if you can help support them in making plans to ensure they are able to care for their needs.

• If a youth who you used to care for left your house to go to college or for other reasons, and you have the space accommodate them or support with resource navigation, now might be the time to check in on whether they have access to safe housing

• Check out FosterClub's page of resources: www.fosterclub.com/C19

• See our blog about how to send emergency cash

Coping

• Provide age-appropriate information about COVID-19

• Use the 3 R’s: Reassurance, Routines, and Regulation

• Visit this CDC page to learn about helping children and young people cope with emergencies

• Download this factsheet from National Child Traumatic Stress Network on how to cope with COVID-19

• Support the emotional well-being of children 

• Here is great list of resources from the Alliance for Children's Rights

•  Here is a link to videos from KVC Health Systems' weekly webinar series, with many important topics still relevant today

Visitation & Family Connections

Although many visitations may have returned to in-person, we can learn lessons from using virtual tools to stay connected with loved ones. If you can facilitate online visits between young people and their families, especially when in-person visits may not be possible or may not be to the desired frequency, children and young people will benefit from maintaining healthy and safe connections with family. Discuss how young people may be worried about the health and safety of their family members, especially during challenging times. Talking to them - and even better, seeing them - can make it easier

• Virtual visits: Whether you use Google Hangouts, Zoom, FaceTime, or other virtual calling platforms, connecting young people with family in this way can keep families connected during challenging times. Here are 5 tips for video chats.
• Phone calls: if possible/allowable, increasing the number of calls is really important, especially during times of stress and worry.
• Sharing audio files: if a parent can create an audio file and send it to you, playing that might bring some comfort.
• For more information, see Chronicle of Social Change’s article about family visits.

Step 5

*Optional: reivew this list for more COVID-19 related resources