TV shows such as ABC's "Find My Family" (top), the CW's "Life Unexpected" (center) and "The Locator" on WEtv touch on foster care and adoption.

May is National Foster Care Month. So SocialWorkersSpeak.org, the Web site that gets social workers talking about and influencing media, assembled a panel of social work experts to get their take on how foster care is depicted on television.

At least one drama, “Life Unexpected” on the CW, has a foster child as its main character. Other reality-based programs, including “Adoption Stories” on Discovery Health and “The Locator” on WEtv, occasionally address foster care.

The experts are:

• Jennifer Tackitt, MSW, a regional manager for the Indiana Department of Child Services.
• Matt Anderson, MSW, a Montana social worker who works with foster children and the producer of the upcoming documentary “From Place to Place” about the challenges of foster children who age out of the system.
• Elizabeth Edwards, MSW, RCSWI, a resident supervisor at Henderson Mental Health Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Edwards was also placed in foster care when her drug-addicted mother could no longer care for her children. Edwards, who aged out of the system, was bounced from foster home to foster home. “I stopped counting at 15,” she said.

Q: How do you feel about the recent slate of television programming that deals with foster care and adoptions? Do you think these programs are making the public more aware of adoption and more willing to become involved in foster care?

TACKITT: I do believe that putting foster care and adoption issues in the limelight can only increase public awareness and bring about additional people interested in this work and these children. It is a difficult task especially in this economy to solicit the need for foster parents. The vast majority of the public have no idea how to access this system. Having public awareness raised through television is a definite benefit.

EDWARDS: These programs are superficial and lack the underlining problems both within the system and the youth population they serve. They minimize the impact that the system plays in the core and underlining factors that the majority of foster care youth face – especially the ones aging out of the system.

ANDERSON: Any of these shows is definitely raising awareness about foster care and adoption issues. I think that’s important and a very good thing if done right — meaning that it is an accurate portrayal and a realistic portrayal. I haven’t seen any that are as raw as what I’ve experienced. They don’t show the reality that I’ve experienced. I don’t know if people want to see that or if people want to make that kind of show. Our film will put out some pretty heartbreaking stories and some pretty real and raw life experiences. But if we put the truth out there then it’s there for us to do something about. If we reveal the truth we can work toward the solution and improve the lives of kids and families.

 Q: “Life Unexpected” deals with former foster child “Lux” who is reunited with her birth parents after years of moving from one home to another. How realistic is that scenario? Do foster children often try to reconnect with birth families when they age out of foster care? In your experience are the results usually good or not so good?

ANDERSON: In my experience the majority of kids want to know about their families and most of them would want to have a relationship with their families. I think for way too many kids in the foster care system the design of our (foster care) systems — the policies and finances of the system — isolate kids from their families and I think that has to change. Our funding, our laws and our services have to support connection to family and ensure that kids have the support of people who are permanent in their lives and care about them forever.

 TACKITT: Yes. It is a natural process for children to find their birth families after spending time separated. Many times this is the plan from the get-go. We fail to prepare them for what they might encounter by not acknowledging their long-term plans. Because the system works with children aging out, it is imperative that we seek out supportive essential connections prior to their eighteenth birthday that can guide and assist them throughout their life. In the best case scenario we would have assisted them in creating positive, life-long supports that will help them navigate their search and guide them through what dysfunction or risks may still exist for them. Given the prior preparation, reuniting with birth families can be extremely positive or extremely negative. It is, however, predictable so it would behoove us not to ignore it and prepare these young adults.

EDWARDS: Unfortunately, there are several factors to consider here: race, culture, and other circumstances surrounding the separation of the child from her parents. Statistically, the probability of foster care youth locating their biological parents, having a supportive and welcoming reunification, and having biological parents who are financially, emotionally, and mentally stable and able to accept and nurture the return of a foster or adoptive child is like watching a Disney movie. But that does not mean it can’t happen. Realistically, many of the foster care and adoptive clients that I serve expressed at one point in treatment their dreams of reuniting with their family and it being this wonderful life. And because it’s so wonderful, they can’t understand why they are in foster care or why their parents gave them up. I have been privileged to undergo personal experience and those with other friends from foster care who have attempted to locate their biological parents. While I cannot speak from their point of view, I still cry. But I found closure. Whether or not I wanted to hear or see my possible life environment, it was what I needed to begin my healing process.

Q: The television show “Find My Family” helped adoptees and their birth parents find each other. Some social workers who left comments at SocialWorkersSpeak.org did not think such a sensitive scene should be televised. Do you agree? “Find My Family” was cancelled but the “The Locator” on WEtv is similar.

TACKITT: I actually do not agree that such scenes should not be televised. I believe that pain and difficult times should be transparent to this world in order to gain a better understanding. We should not shelter the community from how difficult this can be. Awareness can often bring about change and television is the best way to do that. More people may be willing to help during these situations if they are aware of how important it is to these children and families. I do believe that sensitivity should be used and all parties should be prepared. Adults need to be fully informed before allowing the world access to their emotions. I would hope that similar shows should be created. The more light shed on these issues, the more empathy our world could have.

EDWARDS: I agree with Ms. Tackitt on this.  Sensitive or not, it needs exposure. I can name several sensitive issues that continue to receive air time. If a topic arises that is an area that the client wishes to address, then it is the social worker’s responsibility to address it in the treatment plan. The Social Worker Code of Ethics clearly states this.

ANDERSON: I think if that reunification is done for the purpose of media and for the benefit of a TV show, it probably is not good. If we are doing it for the purpose of the well-being for a person of a family and they are willing to put that out there for the world to see I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

Q: Matt, you are both a social worker and a filmmaker so we will ask you this closing question. Foster care seems like such a controversial and complete topic. Do you think screenwriters can really create a drama that addresses this issue fairly or is it better to use reality shows and documentaries to get out the word?

ANDERSON: First of all I want to say we just can’t hide from the truth. And I think we should do all of those things — dramas, documentaries and reality shows. If there is going to be real change in our child welfare system there must be a public and political will for that to happen. It’s hard to move people on an issue and inspire them do something about it. If you show real stories and allow people to see the human side of it, that’s a powerful way to effect change. Social workers say the first thing is, “do no harm.” Putting these stories out does no harm.

To learn more about how social workers help foster children, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

Photo of Lucia Walters courtesy of IMDB.com.

Canadian actress Lucia Walters plays social worker “Fern” on the CW’s critically acclaimed series “Life Unexpected” (Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW).

“Life Unexpected” is about a 15-year-old foster child named “Lux” who reconnects with her birth parents, “Baze” and “Cate.” Not surprisingly Lux discovers her parents, who were teenagers themselves when she was born, still have a lot of growing up to do.

Fern decided whether Cate or Baze would continue to have joint custody of Lux or if she would return to foster care. In  that way her role fits the stereotypical depiction of social workers as “baby stealers.”

However, in an episode called “Family Therapized,” Fern holds a session with Lux, Cate and Baze that helps the three become honest about their feelings and begin heading down the path of becoming a true family. In that scene, Fern demonstrated the help real social workers provide families in crisis.

“I know it doesn’t feel like it,” Fern tells a tearful Cate after the emotional session. “But what you had truly was a breakthrough.”

Walters was born in Athabasca in Canada’s Alberta province to a Dutch mother and Antiquan father who was a minister in the Anglican church. She became a registered nurse but took a modeling course and landed a spot in a T-Mobile commercial with actress Catherine Zeta Jones. She went on to take acting classes and has appeared in the “X-Files,” “Smallville,” the “L-Word” and scores of other other television series and movies.

Walters agreed to talk to SocialWorkersSpeak.org about her social worker role on “Life Unexpected”:

Q: Did you know any real-life social workers before you took the role of Fern?

WALTERS: Before I became an actor I actually obtained a Health Science degree and was a registered nurse in an obstetric hospital that also had a rehab unit for pregnant drug addicts. I have worked with and know a number of amazing social workers!

 Q: How did you prepare for the part of “Fern”?

WALTERS: My prep was based on those amazing social workers I have worked with. I also got to know some of the community social workers who liaised with the hospital social workers. They seemed to be tougher, because they had been exposed to so much more within the community, so I wanted my character to reflect that as well.

 Q: There are thousands of foster care children in the system, including older ones such as “Lux” who have never been adopted for found a permanent family. Do you think “Life Unexpected” does a good job at educating the public about their plight?

WALTERS: Most of the foster children I have gotten to know are now adults and unfortunately, because I met them in a drug rehab unit, I have seen and heard the worst stories. “Life Unexpected” does an incredible job of showing an example of a foster child’s plight in life. It’s heartbreaking to see but imperative that the uninformed public gets a taste of the reality of many children out there.  “Life Unexpected” is the first show to address this and I think Liz Tigelaar, the show’s creator, knew exactly what she was talking about when she wrote this. Awareness instigates change.

To read SocialWorkersSpeak.org’s January 2010 interview with “Life Unexpected” creator Liz Tigelaar click here. And to find out more about how social workers help children such Lux visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web pages by clicking here.

Liz Tigelaar

One aim of SocialWorkersSpeak.org is to engage social workers with people who make film and television programs.

That mission appears to be yielding some results.

We asked Liz Tigelaar, creator of the CW’s critically acclaimed series “Life Unexpected,” to endorse an unfinished documentary from National Association of Social Workers member Matt Anderson. Matt is working on “From Place to Place,” a film that follows aged out foster children in Montana.

Some of these young people are grappling with unemployment, mental illness and drugs and reconnecting with birth families.

The issue of foster care resonates with Tigelaar. She was adopted and her program ”Life Unexpected” is about Lux, a foster child who reconnects with her birth parents.

Tigelaar said she was “tearing up” just reading our interview about Matt’s film. When asked if she would endorse the documentary she said through Twitter, “Of course!”

Thanks for your endorsement Liz! We hope it will help Matt get the funds to complete his work.

A social worker visits Cate and Baze in a scene from "Home Inspected" episode.

SocialWorkersSpeak.org recently sat down with Liz Tigelaar,creator and executive producer of “Life Unexpected,” to talk about what inspired her to do the drama. To read that interview click here.

“Life Unexpected,”  which airs Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern on the CW, is about Lux (Britt Robertson), a foster child who reunites with her birth parents. The January 25 episode “Home Inspected” features a social worker who inspects the homes of parents Cate (Shiri Appleby) and Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) to see if they are capable of taking care of Lux.

Q: Social workers are sometimes stereotyped in television and movies as authority figures who come in and break up homes. We would like you to watch the “Home Inspected” episode of “Life Unexpected” and tell us what you think about the portrayal of the social worker. You can watch it online by clicking here.

Tigelaar’s latest project is “Life Unexpected,” which airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern on the CW. She is creator and executive producer of the drama. “Life Unexpected” is about “Lux,” a foster child who reconnects with her birth parents and finds they have more growing up to do than she does.

Social workers are often at the forefront of helping foster children get counseling and find permanent homes. So SocialWorkersSpeak.org talked to Tigelaar about what motivated her to create “Life Unexpected,” which premiered this month and is already garnering favorable critic reviews:

Q: What prompted you to do a series on a foster child?  Were you a foster child yourself?

A: I wasn’t in foster care myself, but growing up as an adopted kid I was always kind of interested in that subject –foster care, orphanages, etc.  I really wanted to tell a story about a kid who never had a permanent home, who never felt truly settled or wanted.  I felt so wanted by my parents (my adoptive parents) and have still dealt with feelings of rejection and abandonment, of holding on to people so tightly, being fearful that they’ll leave. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I never truly felt wanted.  So that’s the story I wanted to tell: a story of a girl who didn’t feel wanted and never had parents and basically was in this world alone.

Additionally, I feel like there isn’t much of a voice for foster kids, for what they have to endure, for what they have to go through at such a young age. I know we do the TV version of it but I thought it was a group that was underrepresented.

Q: What issues and experiences will “Lux” have in the opening episodes?

I think one of the biggest things is feeling torn.  She’s been put back in the custody of great people (maybe not great parents yet but great people) while her friends have not.  Tasha is still in foster care or at a group home, while Bug and Gavin have aged out of the system but have little support.  The four of them were supposed to be a family together but now Lux has a new one.  I think she feels incredibly guilty, not wanting to pass up this opportunity but also not wanting to leave them behind.

Q: Social workers often work with foster children.  Did you consult with social workers or other professionals when developing the series?

A: Yes absolutely.  We certainly check with experts on everything but sometimes there are conflicting opinions or different states have different ways of doing things.  To me, it’s the foster care element that makes this show so unique so it’s important that we’re able to tell those stories in a way that’s palatable for a CW show and our audience while being true to reality.  I will say that the stories that involve foster care are some of the stories that touch me the most.  Look for a story in the seventh episode between Lux and Tasha that just breaks my heart.

(Photo: Inset: Liz Tigelaar, creator and executive producer of “Life Unexpected.” The program stars from left Shiri Appleby, Britt Robertson, and Kristoffer Polaha. Photo courtesy of the CW.)

For more information on how social workers help children in foster care, check out the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

From left, Kristoffer Polaha as Baze, Britt Robertson as Lux, and Shiri Appleby as Cate. Photo by Michael Courtney / The CW.

“Lux” (actress Britt Robertson) is a 16-year-old foster child who has been moved from one “crappy” home to another and wants to be emancipated.

So she must find her birth parents “Baze” (Kristoffer Polaha), and “Cate” (Shiri Appleby) to sign the paperwork. However, Baze and Cate end up getting joint custody of Lux and Lux discovers her birth parents still have a lot of growing up to do themselves. 

“You can’t be anyone’s parent’s,” she says. “You need parents.”

That is the basic plot of “Life Unexpected,” a CW drama premiering Monday at 9 p.m. The program tackles issues social workers handle daily, including adoption and what happens to older foster children. This leads to our question:

Q: Is the plot of “Life Unexpected” is realistic? Do older foster children sometimes reconnect with their birth parents or is the program painting a fairy tale scenario?

For more information on how social workers help young people such as ”Lux” visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.