Blog

Freddricka has lived through just how healing and life-changing kinship care can be for a child. While she believes deeply in the importance of family, kinship care was never really something she’d considered … until it meant keeping her family together. 

A cosmetologist by trade, Freddricka was working at St. Vincent Family Services supporting families, when one day she saw Sincere, her cousin, walking down the steps. She reflects, “As soon as we saw each other, he ran to me and gave me a big hug. He shared he was in foster care, and in that moment, I knew I could not leave him there. I knew I had the space, so I was going to make it work because he is my family.” 

So, despite it not being in her plans, Freddricka felt she was meant to pursue kinship care for Sincere that day. When she thinks about her journey, she could not be more grateful that kinship and Sincere are such a big a part of her story. 

The Importance of Keeping Family Together with Kinship Care 

Freddricka’s mother had been Sincere’s caregiver for the first nine years of his life. When her mother was no longer able to provide care for him Sincere was placed in foster care, where he spent about a year before Freddricka connected with him. 

“Our family is what he knows. Keeping him with people who feel familiar was so important to me. He needed that stability,” Freddricka shares. 

The transition into foster care meant that Sincere, nine years old at the time, was being moved around a lot, and it was really hard for him. “He endured more than he should have in foster care,” explains Freddricka. It meant any added transition, even transitioning back with family, would be a challenge for both for Sincere and Freddricka. 

“When he first came home with me, I was still a new mom. LyRick, my biological daughter, was eight months old at the time,” she reflects. “So, for me I was like ‘Oh my, I don’t know how to do this.’ Navigating being a new mom to two children that suddenly was hard, it taught me a lot about patience.” 

Thankfully, Freddricka had support from The Buckeye Ranch’s Child Welfare Services team to help both her and Sincere navigate the transition. 

Freddricka was determined to help Sincere heal, as his kinship caregiver she found loving Sincere was healing to her, too. Very shortly after he was placed in her home, she knew she wanted to move from providing kinship care to being Sincere’s legal guardian. 

Support in Restoring Hope 

The court was initially hesitant on permanent placement with a family member for Sincere, given a failed former kinship placement. Shawna, a Child Protective Specialist on The Buckeye Ranch’s Permanent Family Solutions Network program team was Sincere’s case manager, and she knew Freddricka’s home was the best place for Sincere.  

“It was really rocky at first,” explains Freddricka. “But thankfully, Shawna really advocated for me, showing the court that he was doing really well in my household.” 

The Buckeye Ranch’s Permanent Family Solutions Network program is a managed care entity for Franklin County Children’s Services and works to support a portion of their ongoing cases with child protection and case management services for families in need, ensuring children who’ve experienced challenges within their family are supported. The program’s priority is always to support families in staying together whenever it is safe and in the best interest of the child.  

Exploring kinship options to keep children with individuals they know and within the communities they’re comfortable in increases stability, and keeps youth in familiar environments to help to reduce trauma for youth that are already experiencing challenges within their family. 

Finally, in May of 2023, with Shawna’s help, Freddricka officially became Sincere’s legal guardian! 

Love Makes Healing Possible 

Thanks to the stability of the loving environment Fredricka has provided Sincere, he is overcoming his challenges and is healing day by day.  

“When he first came to us, he struggled with authority and advice. He would lash out a lot because he thought everyone was out to get him,” reflects Freddricka. “This was a challenge when he started school and football, but we worked together to overcome that. Now, he realizes that his coaches are just trying to help him. They’re now strong mentors in his life, and he loves playing football.” 

Freddricka shares that counseling and helping Sincere to prioritize his mental health has also been life-changing for him. “Shawna and The Buckeye Ranch helped us find a counselor in the community to support Sincere as he learns to navigate the many complicated feelings he has about his past,” explains Freddricka. “Since starting treatment, his behavior challenges in school are drastically improved. He gets through full days and is learning so much.” 

With the support of counseling, Freddricka has the tools to support Sincere in navigating family relationships, past and present. “Sincere really loves my mom. When I first got him, he was not allowed to be around her, and that was incredibly hard for him because they have a deep bond … I mean, she raised him,” reflects Freddricka. 

Freddricka had open conversations with Sincere, creating space for him to ask questions about the transition and being honest with him about circumstances. “Today, he and my mom are able to be around each other a little bit. I would never want to take that relationship from him, so I make sure she’s included in a lot of things like football games. He loves to see her there.”  

And, Sincere is finding so much joy in being a big brother to LyRick. “Sincere adores LyRick,” Freddricka shares about Sincere’s relationship with her daughter.

“He’s definitely the best big brother. He’s always playing with her and wants to spend time with her. We just got them a dog. Together, they’re learning responsibility and experiencing such joy with that addition. These memories will last a lifetime, and it has been incredibly special to watch.” 

A Solid Foundation for A Bright Future 

Over the last year, Sincere has certainly been growing into the person he was meant to be. Today, he’s doing well in school, learning to trust, and making special memories and bonds with family. “I’m proud of how much we have accomplished together,” Freddricka shares of the last year. “I’m just proud that he’s in a space where he’s content and happy and growing.” 

Freddricka makes it a priority to take the kids out of the house to make special memories, which has really helped Sincere. “We do a lot of activities like skating, playing football, and just being active in the community,” she shares.  

Sincere is also learning to build healthy relationships with male mentors, from his football coaches to his sister’s father. 

“Sincere has never really had a male role model, and now, he is building a relationship with my daughter’s dad,” explains Freddricka. “I think that’s really important for little boys. He takes Sincere to football practice, and Sincere really looks toward him like a mentor.” 

Sincere has also developed a love for computers, and has voiced that he wants to continue to learn more about how to build or work with them in the future.  

When asked what she wants the community to know about Kinship care, Freddricka shares, “I want people to know that doing kinship care makes a difference in the community and within the child … It gives them the stability they need to grow and become who they were meant to be in the world,” she shares.

“I think everyone should do it if they can. Seeing a kid happy and growing – that’s the best part. And, you’ll find you grow so much through it too. It changes your life for the better.” 

Kinship care has certainly changed Sincere’s life.  Without a doubt, the future holds wonderful things for Sincere with the support and stability of a permanent home. 

If you would like to learn more about kinship care and how The Buckeye Ranch can support, reach out to our Foster Care team today! Want more heartwarming stories and updates about how you can ensure hope and healing for youth and families in our community? Sign up for our e-newsletter today.