What happens when a school employee opens her home to two brothers in foster care just days before Christmas?

In this heartfelt episode of From Foster to Forever, host Rachel Fulginiti sits down with foster parent Susan Devine, who shares her powerful experience fostering two brothers through the child welfare system and supporting their eventual reunification with their father. Unlike many foster-to-adopt stories, Susan's journey highlights another important goal of foster care: helping families heal and reunite whenever safely possible.

Susan discusses how a simple conversation at work led her to become a foster parent, the challenges and rewards of caring for children who have experienced trauma, and the deep bonds that can form even when adoption isn't the outcome. As a single mother and school health aide, Susan offers a refreshing perspective on fostering older children, supporting children with special needs, and staying connected after reunification.

If you've ever wondered whether foster parenting is right for you, this episode offers an honest, encouraging look at how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in a child's life.

In This Episode

• How Susan unexpectedly became a foster parent
• Fostering two brothers just before Christmas
• Supporting children through trauma and uncertainty
• The importance of maintaining connections with biological families
• What reunification looked like for these children
• Foster parenting as a single parent
• The realities of fostering children with special needs
• How community support can help foster families succeed
• Why foster care isn't only about adoption
• Coping with saying goodbye when children reunify
• The lasting impact foster parents can have on a child's life
• Why more families are needed in foster care

Key Topics

• Foster care
• Foster parenting
• Foster family stories
• Foster care reunification
• Foster-to-adopt
• Single foster parents
• Older child foster care
• Special needs foster care
• Child welfare system
• Trauma-informed parenting
• Family reunification
• Becoming a foster parent
• Foster care support
• Dutchess County Foster Care

Memorable Quote"It absolutely made me alive again inside and knowing that I was important to someone and that someone needed me." — Susan DevineResources

Interested in becoming a foster parent? Contact your local child welfare agency to learn about foster parent certification, training requirements, and ways you can support children and families in your community.