Resources by Topic
Vacation Mode: How to Set Your Kiddos Up for Success for a Trip Out of Town
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care The Restore Network exists to change the culture of foster care and equip God's ... read more
Supporting Regulation: When Behaviors Are Scary and Where to Get Help
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 8 of an 8-part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Keeping Behaviors Low & Returning to Calm
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 7 of an 8-part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Proactive Strategies
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 6 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Taking Care of Your Own Nervous System
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 5 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Making a Safety Plan for Your Whole Family
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 4 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Identifying Triggers
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 3 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Identifying the Stress Response
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 2 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Supporting Regulation: Awareness Brings Empathy
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In part 1 of a 9 part series, Ashley Bennett, our Director of Trauma Informed ... read more
Tips for a More Regulated Thanksgiving Break!
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care ‘Tis the season for gratitude, gift buying, turkey, and football! We’re entering ... read more
Teaching Children to Accept “No” and Negotiate their Needs with Respect
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care The Restore Network exists to change the culture of foster care and equip God's ... read more
Empowering Principle: Transitions
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Another part of helping support your child with structure, is helping them handle ... read more
Empowering Principle: Structure & Routines
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Ok, ok. Some of you took a look at this photo above and your heart ... read more
Empowering Principle: Calming
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care In their book the Whole Brain Child, authors Dan Siegel and Tina Payne ... read more
Empowering Principle: Sleep
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care A good night’s sleep can make all the difference, can’t it? Sleep is the ... read more
Empowering Principle: Movement
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Ok, now let's talk about the benefits of movement. You guys, I know our ... read more
Empowering Principle: Sensory Diet
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Now I want to talk to you about a different kind of diet, your sensory diet. ... read more
Empowering Principle: Nutrition
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Alright so the candy bar, Snickers, taught us this one. We aren’t ourselves when ... read more
Empowering Principle: Hydration
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Water has never been something I've really loved to consume! I mean, I KNOW it's ... read more
Surviving Large Gatherings & Preparing Your People
Often times, holidays and celebrations are a time of the year in which you are more likely to gather with larger groups of extended ... read more
Imagining the Celebration From Your Child’s Perspective
As we approach this holiday season as foster or adoptive parents, we need to imagine the holidays from our child’s ... read more
Understanding Compassion Fatigue & Burn Out
I know you started out in this journey to foster care likely with an open heart and well meaning. You wanted to enrich the life of a ... read more
Teaching Children to Play
“He gets bored easily.” “She’s always asking me to play with her.” “He has trouble finding something to do and then just bothers ... read more
Favorite Podcasts
As Restore Network staff, we love podcasts! Here are some of our favorite ones for those of you who are doing the hard work of foster ... read more
Regulation
When we welcome a child into our home through foster care, our primary job in those early days is to work on cultivating felt-safety in ... read more
Why Traditional Parenting Might Not Work
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Before we take a look at new ways of engaging our children during moments ... read more
Helping Your Kids in the Summer When School is Out
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care My kids have been out of school since last week and I am excited about the ... read more
Learning Empathy
Empathy begins in infancy. When you regularly meet the needs of your infant, you are actually teaching them that they matter, that you ... read more
Seven Risk Factors
The Karyn Purvis Institute for Child Development recognizes 7 risk factors for our children that can adversely affect their development ... read more
The Roller Coaster
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care I think a pretty good analogy for the foster care system is that of being on a ... read more
Life After Placement
What life might need to look like after saying YES and welcoming a new child? When you invite a child to join your family, you become ... read more
Back to School
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care When my boys first came to me, they were several grade levels behind academically. ... read more
Classroom Regulation Strategies
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Keeping your kiddo regulated in the classroom can be tough! But it's a key ... read more
The Birth of Your Relationship
When we bring home a newborn baby from the hospital, life around us seems to halt. We clear our calendars around the upcoming due date ... read more
Avoiding After School Meltdowns
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Let's face it, the after school meltdown can be REAL. Your kiddos have done their ... read more
Supporting our Children after a New Placement
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care If you're reading this resource, you might be looking for ways to prepare your ... read more
Now What?
You've just welcomed a new child into your home! You're making appointments, enrolling them in school, adjusting your plans, and ... read more
Visit Days
We all know birth family visits can bring out lots of big feelings for our kids. For some, there is happiness and anticipation. But ... read more
Holiday Tip #5: Practice Outside the Moment
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care We’ve talked a little bit in this space about making life predictable for our ... read more
Holiday Tip #4: Share Control
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Do you have a child who sabotages big days? Or at least maybe it feels that way ... read more
Holiday Tip #3: Predictability & Structure
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Listen I know. It’s getting harder to predict what’s going to happen next in 2020 ... read more
Holiday Tip #2: Simplify
If you are a foster parent, you are raising a child who has experienced significant relational harm. Because of this, their bodies and ... read more
Holiday Tip #1: Sad Looks Mad
So, this year the holidays may end up looking a bit different than we're used to, right? Maybe you’re excited about the opportunity to ... read more
Say It With Scripts
Have you ever thought, "Maybe I use too many words when I talk to my children?" If so, you are in good company! Adults use talk as ... read more
Seeing the Need Behind the Behavior
The routine was off this morning. I knew that it was. M and I usually have some time alone together in the mornings but this morning a ... read more
Healing
by a Restore Network Foster Mom She still sleeps beside me every night. She used to sleep on top of me. She would wake up if she ... read more
Choices & Compromises
by Ashley Bennett, Restore Network Director of Trauma-Informed Care Babies are created to be entirely dependent on adults to meet ... read more
Food Insecurities
Food is essential to our survival. It’s comforting. It’s a social activity. It’s fuel for our brains and bodies. Food is an important ... read more
Sleep Struggles
Regaining a feeling of safety takes time. Kids in foster care have experienced harm at the hands of their primary caregivers, and it’s ... read more
Hard Doesn’t Mean Wrong
by Katie Myette, Restore Network Executive Director I remember the early days of foster care. I remember when God called us to open ... read more
Our Amazon Shop
Did you know....that the Restore Network has an Amazon shop where we've gathered our favorite books and resources for helping provide ... read more
Our Pinterest Page
Did you know....that the Restore Network has a Pinterest page that coincides with our trauma informed training modules and can give ... read more