Partnering for safe and healthy communities.
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The holidays can be a difficult time for foster and adoptive families due to the grief and loss of family separation. | |
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“Families can be so hard on themselves, and their expectations can be so high,” said Brittany Lutz, Family Development Specialist. “They try to make the holiday perfect for these kids because they love them and want to make it meaningful for them.
At the end of the day, doing your best is good enough. No matter how many temper tantrums occur – that’s good enough.”
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In this latest blog post, hear from members of our Resource Development team about how caretakers can prepare for the holidays – unexpected tantrums, calls and visits with biological family members, and more. You’ll also hear from two foster families about how they navigate this time of year and the resources that have been helpful to them. | |
Building Bonds and Expertise: New Kinship Path Course Offers Support to Kansas Caregivers | |
Starting this January, kinship caregivers in the Kansas City area will have an in-person opportunity to build a support network of fellow caregivers while learning trauma-informed skills through the Kinship Path course. Kinship Path is a free hybrid training course developed by Children’s Alliance of Kansas with 10 facilitated meetings and four online, self-paced trainings. It is open to any kinship parent who desires more peer connection and support navigating the child welfare system.
Charlotte Baker, Manager of Resource Family Development in Kansas, and Alicia Dentler, Clinical Utilization Specialist, work in foster care at Cornerstones of Care and will be the first to offer the class in person since it was presented to the public in March 2022.
“We’re really trying to build up our families to feel more confident with the kids they care for and get more support and resources,” said Charlotte.
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Record-Breaking Number of Kids in Foster Care Receive Gifts through NASB North Pole
This December, Cornerstones of Care collaborated with community partners and volunteers to provide holiday gifts for our kids in foster care and those supported by our services. Together we were able to provide a record-breaking 1462 kids with gifts through our Sponsor-a-Youth program. Gifts are hand-delivered by our Resource Development team members to each child and family.
“I always feel like I’m Santa Claus,” said Brittany Lutz, Family Development Specialist based in rural Missouri counties. “It’s so neat to be able to do that for these families, and they’re very appreciative that we do it.”
We also had 200 families pick out brand-new gifts from our Gift Gallery to take home to their families.
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In Case You Missed it: National Adoption Month Stories | |
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Nicole Newton Has Three Reasons to Celebrate National Adoption Month
Dive into the heartwarming story of Nicole Newton, Director of Resource Family Development in Kansas, whose connection to adoption goes beyond her role at Cornerstones of Care — it's woven into the fabric of her life. Nicole opens up about her profound journey of adopting three now-adult children: Michael, Amirah, and Senae, and fostering 24 children.
Read her story
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From Foster Care to Finish Line: One Family’s Journey to Adoption
On March 8, 2023, Malachi O’Brien broke a Guinness World Record by running 153 marathons in a row – all to raise awareness for foster care and adoption. The 40-year-old pastor from Peculiar, Mo., holds a doctoral degree in social media and marketing and knows that to get people to pay attention to something, you must be willing to do something a little bit crazy.
Read the story
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New Missouri Legislation on Runaway Youth | |
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Several important changes have been made to Missouri's Missing Person Report Procedure, effective August 28, 2023, pertaining to runaway youth in foster care. According to Section 4, Chapter 4 of Subsection 8, foster parents are now required to notify police within two hours of discovering that a foster child is missing. In addition to notifying your local law enforcement agency and case manager, foster parents are required to get a police report number and inform the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NAMEC).
Other topics covered in the legislation include: Understanding Runaway Youth with a Trauma Based Focus, Risks for Missing or Runaway Youth, and Youth in Known but Unapproved Placements.
For more information about these changes and their impact on foster parents in Missouri, review the legislation and reach out to your case manager with questions.
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Basic Tips for Keeping Children Safe Around Water and Ice this Winter | |
- Always supervise children skating or playing on or near ice. Educate them on the risks of playing on ice, and outfit them with lifejackets. Never leave children alone on or near ice-covered bodies of water.
- Prepare before going out on ice. Wait to walk out onto the ice until there is a minimum of four inches of clear, solid ice measured from multiple locations. Start measurements in an area where the water is shallow. If the thickness in the shallow area is less than three inches, do not walk on the ice.
- Take someone with you, wear a life jacket, and bring safety equipment, including a cell phone, in an emergency.
- Always keep your pets on a leash near frozen bodies of water. If a pet falls through the ice, do not attempt to rescue your pet; call 9-1-1 or seek help.
- Stay clear of white ice. White ice contains air and snow within it, making it weaker.
- Stay off river ice. Currents can quickly change the thickness of ice, making it more fragile.
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Upcoming Foster Parent Trainings | | | | |
