Ep 7 - Foster Care, Fentanyl, and Child Safety Failure (feat. Kristina Johnson)

Kristina Johnson joins us on the podcast today as we talk about the drastic changes that have happened in Washington State over the last five years in regards to foster care, the devastating results of HB 1227 (and how every social worker, therapist, and stakeholder she knows knew it was going to fail), the stakes she personally has in making sure these parents become clean and well, and what she recommends to legislators as we move forward in 2026.Kristina Johnson is a licensed therapist and has been working in Washington State for the last 10 years. She is a former foster parent and single mom, who understands more than most the struggles many of these single parents are facing. As an undergrad, she dreamed of the job she currently has and while she will continue in this line of work, she was regretful to tell us that "her dream job has become a nightmare."We hope that with our voices together - foster parents, therapists, social workers, former foster kids - we can change our children's future for good.Thank you for joining us today and thank you again to Kristina for sharing her story!...............................................................Want to know more about Fostering Change WA? Visit our website: https://fosteringchangewa.org/ Our mission is to make a real change in Washington state for those most vulnerable. Through this channel, we aim to give a voice to the voiceless, share the stories of those who often go unseen, and inspire people to make a difference. We want views and comments to become action that will save lives. To follow us and the work we are doing, check out our social media channels: Instagram: @fosteringchangewa TikTok: @fostering.change Facebook: Fostering Change WA Want to catch up on the story? All our 'Change The Story' episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Podcasts, or watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/_VTZ6erJg9gThank you so much for wanting to support us and joining us in this fight for a better tomorrow for our kids.#socialwork #fostercare #washingtonstate