New Hampshire DCYF Foster Care

10/29/2026

Join us for a virtual information session next month to learn more about CASA of New Hampshire. Info sessions provide a great opportunity to ask your questions and connect with CASA staff and an advocate!

Register today: www.casanh.org/infosessions

10/29/2026

Anxiety in kids doesn’t always look like worry. 💛

Sometimes it looks like irritability, perfectionism, stomach aches, trouble sleeping, shutting down, needing constant reassurance, avoiding things, or having big emotional reactions.

When we understand what anxiety can look like beneath the surface, we’re better able to respond with support—not just to the behaviour we see, but to what may be driving it.

And if you want to go deeper, we have **3 FREE anxiety-focused masterclasses** coming up at our **Parenting & Children’s Mental Health Summit, November 16–18**:

✨ **Understanding School Avoidance & Anxiety** — Dr. Eli Lebowitz
✨ **Helping Kids with Anxiety Without Feeding Anxiety** — Tammy Schamuhn & Tania Johnson
✨ **Raising Kids in an Anxious World** — Dr. Steve Biddulph

These sessions are designed to help parents and professionals better understand childhood anxiety—and know what actually helps.

💬 Comment THRIVE and we’ll send you the link to register.

10/29/2026

Friends it's that time! I know it may seem early 🫣 but our annual Christmas event is right around the corner. All gifts will go directly to foster, adopted and kinship children. We typically give gifts to 450-500 children every year. Please read all the ways you can help below

If your a business, church or community group you can help by:

🔴 Host a virtual toy drive. Use our Amazon wishlist QR code and send it out to your community. 🎅 https://a.co/0hYaLja0
🟢 Host a regular in person toy drive. Use any box, make it fancy 🎄 and we will pick it up before our event.
🔴 Purchase a gift card to a local store for us to purchase any last minute gifts we are low on.
🟢 Volunteer! We are always looking for volunteers during the event. If you are interested in that let me know and we can send more information.

If your an individual looking to help you can help by:

🔴 Collect gifts in your workplace through the month of November
🟢 Host a holiday party and collect gifts at the event
🔴 Volunteer! We are always looking for volunteers during the event. If you are interested in that let me know and we can send more information.
🟢 Spread the word. Just having our community members share our toy drive is incredibly helpful!
🔴 Share and purchase gifts right from our wishlist 🎅 https://a.co/0hYaLja0
🟢 Go through your toy stash. If you have unopened gifts from years pasts your kids are not opening we are happy to take those.

If you are interested in any way, please comment below with your email so we can send you details.

*sign up for foster, adoptive, kinship families will be the 1st week in November. More details to come!

10/29/2026

Research shows that if a child has just one caring, trusted adult in their life, that relationship can buffer the effects of trauma and, in turn, help them thrive. That is the incredible power of a kinship caregiver.

Quote: Josh Shipp

10/29/2026

10/29/2026

Stimming is not something a child needs to be taught to stop.

For many children, it is an important way of regulating emotions, processing sensory information or maintaining focus.

Rather than asking how we can stop the behaviour, we should be asking what purpose it serves for the child.

Understanding comes before intervention.

10/28/2026

JOIN US FOR THINK ABOUT IT THURSDAY!

Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent in New Hampshire? New Hampshire children need YOU!

Whether you are interested in:
* Long term fostering
* Short term or respite fostering
* Teen mentoring
* Visiting resource for children in residential treatment

We would love to connect with you.

Please join us for our LIVE informational Session held every Thursday from 7-8:30pm via ZOOM to learn more about ALL OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS.

Follow this link to get started and to gain access to our LIVE webinar!

https://app.smartsheetgov.com/b/form/2cb8d22dc9aa4c9f9ccba8c781d73a86

10/10/2026

Hello New Hampshire! Our annual Village Conference for NH DCYF caregivers is right around the corner! Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent or a mentor to a teen in care? This is the PERFECT event for you!

* Meet other caregivers, DCYF leadership and field staff!
* Connect with community partners from around the state!
* Attend breakout sessions packed with tools and resources!
* Enjoy a continental breakfast and full buffet lunch!

This event is FREE to attend but advanced registration is required.

Here are all the details:
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💙 WHO CAN ATTEND?
Current foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers are invited to attend the full-day conference.
Prospective Foster Parents and Prospective Youth Mentors are also welcome. This is a great opportunity to meet current caregivers, DCYF staff, and community partners and learn more about the village of support available to children and families.
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📅 WHEN & WHERE?
Saturday, October 24, 2026
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
DoubleTree by Hilton – Manchester, NH
Registration and check-in will open at 7:45 AM.
FREE parking is generously provided by the NH Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (NHFAPA).
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🎓 WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
* Community Vendor Fair - Connect with more than 30 community partners in our vendor fair and learn about resources and services available to support you and the children in your care.

*Two Keynote Speakers:

* Linda Lyons, LICSW
“The Opposite of Overwhelmed: 4 Key Skills That Make a Difference”

* Joshua Wayne, MA, Youth Development Expert
“Building Thriving, Resilient Youth: How to Be the Guide They Need”
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🎟️ HOW DO I REGISTER?
To register, please use the link below:

https://www.eventzilla.net/e/2026-caregiver-conference-the-support-of-a-village-2138699898?utm_source=chatgpt.com

When you click “Register Now,” you will be prompted to enter an access code.

The codes are case sensitive, and each person needs to register individually, even if you are attending with your spouse or partner.

Please reserve just 1 ticket at a time and then register your spouse or significant other separately. This ensures that each attendee receives the appropriate attendance and training credit as well as a name tag for the conference.

Caregiver Ticket:
Village2026!
Prospective Caregiver:
Connect2026!
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🧭 HOW DO I CHOOSE MY BREAKOUT SESSIONS?
Once you follow the registration link, you’ll be able to read a brief description of each breakout session.

Take some time to look through the options and choose the topics that you think will be most helpful for you and your family.
There are a lot of practical resources and tools being offered this year, and we hope you’ll find sessions that you can take home and put to use right away.

If you have questions about the conference, registration or breakout sessions please email [email protected] for assistance.

We hope you’ll be able to join us on October 24th. We look forward to spending the day with you!