"Resiliency" has become quite the new buzzword, and after a year of navigating so much unknown, we could likely all use a refresher on what it is, how we can utilize it, and how to equip our kids with it as they face everyday challenges. It is an ability to cope, mentally or emotionally, with a crisis or an ability to return to pre-crisis status without long-term negative effects or with a calm and clear-minded demeanor.
In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, No. 19-123, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with a Catholic agency that refuses to work with same sex couples as foster parents. The city had stopped working with Catholic Social Services to serve children in foster care after a 2018 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer described Catholic Social Services’ policy against placement of children with same-sex couples. The US Court of Appeals had unanimously sided with Philadelphia in its effort to require compliance for its nondiscrimination policies. This US Supreme Court decision overturns that earlier ruling.
Managing Director and the Market Manager of J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank for the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia Region
Associate Head of School for Advancement, McLean School in Potomac, Maryland
Consumer Research and Analytics
Principal Program Manager at L3Harris Technologies
Caitlin serves as the Domestic Adoption Program Support Specialist for families in both the Infant and Project Wait No Longer Programs. She works closely with families and outside agencies from home study to finalization. Before coming to Barker, Caitlin served in the U.S Army as an Administrative Support Specialist, serving a tour of duty overseas. As an adoptee and birth mother herself, she brings both a personal and professional understanding of the adoption process and a passion for serving children and families in our domestic program.
The call from Barker came on a Monday as I was underground in the DC metro system. I got off the train and moved above ground to better hear the program director get the facts out.
A baby was born the evening before.
Her mother was a heavy drug user.
The baby would go through detox.
Would we be interested in meeting the birth mom the next day?
My heart did a flip-flop and I remembered to take a breath and stay grounded so I could let all my preliminary training kick in, get some initial questions answered, and figure out the next step forward. The info that flowed over the next ten minutes of the call gave me a window into both the life of a birth mother in crisis, and also a preview of a series of challenges and complexities that my husband and I might face over the next few days, weeks and years.
The Barker Adoption Foundation
Chantez Bailey
301-664-9664
Cbailey [at] barkerfoundation.org
Barker Commends Agency’s Decision to Serve LGBTQ Community
