Undercover Angels
Utilizing Spirituality as a Resource to Help Children Cope with Their Experience in Foster Care
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Dear child/teen/young adult, no matter what you think or have been told, the reasons for your coming into foster care were never your fault! I am sure there was more than one reason, and you are probably wondering who was right or wrong, and why your parents didn't do the right thing or why didn't they do what they were told by the judge to get you back. I am not sure if there was something more that the judge, the social worker, social services or your parents could have done to make things better. At the end of your story it is up to your parents to make it all work by humbling themselves and making the changes needed to keep you safe. If for some reason they could not do that, when you are a grown up you will find out everything and you will be the final judge of how things turned out for you and your family. The real truth as sad and painful as it is, is that if you are reading this book, you are in foster care; and yes it hurts in your heart and in your soul, but there is also another “real truth”; you came into foster care for an important reason and a purpose in your life, even if you may not know what that reason or purpose is yet. It will be hard at first, but you need to know that you are a good kid, a good teenager, a good person, that you will survive, and that GOD and Angels want you to be safe and to be the best human being you can be, and it does not depend on whether you live with your parents or not. Please know and trust that there are good people out there, foster parents, mentors, social workers, therapists, guardians, judges, etc; who will give lovingly of themselves to help you and care for you, so you can have a decent life. The most important question is: Will you give yourself a chance to be “loved “by Undercover Angels who may not be your parents, but who want to meet your needs at this time in your life?”
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About the Book
This is a “how to” inspirational book for all foster children who can read or can be read to by their foster parents, their therapists, their mentors, etc; to guide them in their emotional and spiritual quest for persons who can make them feel safe and loved, while they temporarily live in foster care or are waiting for adoptive parents. The purpose of this book is to help make foster children aware of what they can do for themselves to attract and stay close to loving and safe people who will guide them and encourage them as they get older and stronger emotionally. This book aims to support and validate the crucial role of foster parents and adoptive parents, and show appreciation for their labor of love and to motivate and inspire them to continue believing that their work is divine. Volunteers, social workers, therapists, guardian ad litems, teachers, counselors, mentors, parents, or anybody who is thinking about how to make a difference in this world by caring for and loving a child who needs a parent substitute, will be inspired as well. This book is especially designed as a guide for therapists who work with children in foster care, as it offers an opening for the discussion of issues relevant and important to the children. The utilization of the spiritual perspective is emphasized, to help children use it as another resource to cope with the intense emotions that the dismantling of their family creates in them. If we are to establish a lasting meaningful relationship with a child based on mutual respect and love, we need to first make the long term commitment and take the time to spend with a child, to give, to listen, to wipe the tears, to spend the money, the energy and the love, and to use the talents we have all been given by our Creator, to make the life of a child meaningful and worthy of Angels! Update: The book is getting good reviews in the Child Welfare community.
About the Author
Angel P. Valdes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who lives in Miami, Florida and works in a private foster care agency. He has supervised case managers and therapist for 22 years, and as he gathered the experience in his career, he realized that the best way to learn about the needs of foster children was for his family to become a foster family. This started as Angel began to mentor children who had little or no family around, and he came across Tony, the little boy who would live with them for over 3 years. His family took Tony in and of course as the title of the book suggests, this undercover angel crawled into their hearts and the family crawled into his. The book is based on the everyday lessons learned with Tony and other children. It is based on the personal belief of the author that we can all be angels to one another if we realize that love binds us, and if we look for the signs and deeds that prove this love. The children who will read or will have this book read to them will learn that there is love in the people they will meet, and that special relationships can develop as we all develop our many talents, and share the love that God freely offers though the undercover angels he puts in our lives.