Raising Other People’s Children – Debbie Ausburn Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast

Raising Other People’s Children Debbie Ausburn Today, there are more than 400K children in foster care in the United States. The reason for this varies from child abuse and neglect. Whether physical abuse, psychological abuse or sexual abuse – these are all significant reasons children are removed from homes. They can also cause long lasting mental health issues and authority issues as well. Neglect can run the gamut from failing to fulfill a child’s needs for food, hygiene, education, etc. Even withholding medical care. Sometimes there is the situation where a child is abandoned. Whether financial pressures, emotional pressure or other reasons, the parent drops the child off somewhere and never returns. Then, there is the totally tragic case of when a parent dies, leaving nobody to raise the child.  
All of these situations are tragic. All of these situations can scar a child for life. All of these situations require someone to step up and help.  
That is where our guest today has come in. Debbie Ausburn is a social worker, turned lawyer, who has worked with youth-serving organizations for more than 40 years. She has served as a camp counselor, juvenile court probation officer, group home parent, criminal prosecutor of crimes against children and as a litigation attorney advising youth-serving organizations throughout the United States. 
Her most important challenges, however, have been parenting foster children and stepchildren. She has never had biological children of her own, but she has collected seven children and ten grandchildren. Praise God… 
She has put the lessons that her children taught her over the years into a book titled, “Raising Other People’s Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me about Bringing Together a Blended Family.” 
Help me welcome to the program, Debbie Ausburn. Debbi, thank you for taking the time to join us today. I do appreciate it. 
First question I always start with is this…. Other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words, “Who is Debbie Ausburn?” 
Let’s start with your book, “Raising Other People’s Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me about Bringing Together a Blended Family.” Why did you write this book? 
In your book, “Raising Other People’s Children,” you share that your goal was never to replace the parent that was supposed to be there and raising the kids. But that your goal was to forge a strong and rewarding relationship with them. In effect, becoming that child’s “Plan B” for support. I guess the question I have for you is “How do you communicate that to a troubled child or teen that has been placed into your care?” 
You share that you may not be the person who is “supposed to be there,” – but you are the person who “is there.”  
Also in your book, you share it was a bit more difficult after you were married. How difficult was that transition time for him to, basically, “catch up” with those skills? 
Can you explain for us a term you use, The “ACE” or “Adverse Childhood Experiences” that children suffer from? What is this and why is it important to understand? 
You share a couple of examples that I think would be hard for someone to deal with if they were not prepared for it themselves. The examples I’m thinking of involve attending a reunion or other event with the child’s biological family and relatives – and you receiving the “cold shoulder.” Can you share about those experiences you had and how a foster parent can prepare, mentally, for those challenges? 
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