Giving Compass' Take:

• The author discusses the hardships of being a foster parent in an unsupportive work environment.  Her colleagues treated her differently than other parents who had biological children. 

• Should there be legal protections for foster parents within employment discrimination laws? 

• Read about the increase in foster care students within the U.S.

I learned about this firsthand when my husband and I trained to become foster parents. I  was unprepared for the treatment I received in my former workplace. Initially, I believed the institution I worked for at the time was supportive of parents.

My workplace seemed to back up its claim that we were a family with family-friendly policies.

But it turned out these privileges were enjoyed only by biological families. While new mothers with biological children were offered the option to work from home on Fridays, I was required to type up a work plan and present my case for the same schedule.

Even though I wasn’t asking for maternity leave, I was met with suspicion and distrust about my ability to do my job while foster-parenting. As a result, I felt as if I should keep my experiences quiet and under the radar

I felt unable to share my parenting joys or challenges with my colleagues, as I was treated differently than other parents caring for young children. My work suffered because I felt unsupported, and my loyalty was eroded because of the lack of trust I felt in my workplace. I have since left that employer.

Working foster parents juggle many responsibilities, including court dates, home visits, and doctor and therapist appointments. Children in foster care often need additional support for their physical and mental well-being and healing. Even routine morning schedules can be challenging as a child adapts to a new environment. Offering flexible schedules or allowing telecommuting can help with this.

Many states do not have enough foster homes to accommodate children needing home placements. So our employers must redefine how we support working families.

The simplest way to do this is to begin by trusting employees.

Read the full article about support for foster families by Laura Gronewold at The Hechinger Report