Foster Care Training

The subject of money, socioeconomic status and class are all topics that we tend to avoid and find as taboo subjects in our society. And, because of this cloud of secrecy that keeps many of us in a place of shame or embarrassment, it is very easy to have a lot of misperceptions about one’s own class status, how we measure up in relation to others, and what the common story is out there as to who is considered wealthy, who is considered middle class, and who is below the poverty line. This workshop will begin in a self-reflective process, where participants will unpack and better understand how they were socialized around their own socioeconomic circumstances, the messages they received directly and indirectly about money and class. There will be exercises to use income calculators to more precisely understand where we stand in the bigger picture of the SF Bay Area, what the different bands are for lower-income, middle-income and upper-income families. The more we can uncover and unveil the secrets around money and class, the more empowered we can be to address the disparities and challenge the myths and fears that keep us focused on fighting amongst ourselves. We will address racial discrimination, specifically, in the ways that structural racism played a significant part in how racial wealth disparities have widened over the decades, having major impact on the social outcomes for different groups of people. This has huge implications in the child welfare system and having a better understanding of all of the underpinning of our economic systems can only empower providers and clients and system-involved families.