Taylor is Home

You can see this Adoption Awareness Month photo essay on the DCS Flickr site. The Adoption Day photos were taken by Joy Bice, Kinship Care Coordinator in Knox County and owner of Raw Joy Photography.

Shrean Fawcett is the Knox County foster parent advocate, working as a liaison between foster parents and the Department of Children’s Services.

“Sometimes, it is just giving advice or letting them know what to expect at their first court date or Child and Family Team meeting,” Fawcett said.

She and husband, Casey, also have been foster parents for eight years, caring for more than 30 children ages 0 to 18. Last month, the Fawcetts adopted 13-year-old Taylor, who was in foster care with them since 2014.

"They welcomed me into their life,” Taylor said. “I can talk to Shrean about anything and Casey, too. We have a good bond."

Taylor becomes the Fawcett’s sixth child, who range in age from 14 to 1.

"We’ll watch movies together and when we eat dinner, when we’re all sitting down at the table ‘How was your day, How are you? What did you do today?’ " Taylor said. "I like that."

She added: "I never really had siblings so to me, I really liked it. I had a warm feeling instantly. I like when we’re all together doing things."

Being an Advocate

In her role as an advocate, Fawcett often tells foster parents they need just three things:

“You need courage and ambition and perseverance. Because ultimately that helps you succeed,” Fawcett said. “You need courage to say yes to a placement, perseverance no matter what the need is and the ambition to keep going.’’

And foster parents need the understanding that being foster parents can develop into a life-long mentorship with a child who returns home, and with his or her family.

“We say that DCS is not an adoption agency,’’ Fawcett said. “We’re looking for foster parents who want to be long term in a child’s life, but they may not be the mother or father but rather a mentor. If child goes back home, or teen who needs help, you can be there.”

Learn More

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent? Please visit our foster care and adoption site pages.