The Good Stuff in Child Welfare
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Welcome to The Good Stuff in Child Welfare!
Our team at the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice, & Research recognizes that between the all too frequent and grim child welfare stories that make us teary-eyed, clenched-fisted, and faint-hearted, there are inspiring accomplishments and heartening endeavors taking place all over this country at every level of practice. To elevate and promote these encouraging stories, we are pleased to bring you this monthly newsletter emphasizing news stories only about “The Good Stuff” from the broad field of child welfare. May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and this month’s stories show us the breadth of creativity in programming for youth in foster care, and the families trying to prevent foster care placement, around the country. We hope this read gives you a few moments of hopefulness and a sense of possibility.
If there's something you'd like to see here, shoot us an email. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff in Child Welfare? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do.
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Brewerytown Cafe ‘The Monkey & The Elephant’ Dedicated To Helping Young Adults Who Are Aging Out Of Foster Care |
A Philadelphia coffee shop, The Monkey & the Elephant, has provided employment and job training to dozens of young adults aging out of foster care over the past seven years. The young people in the program have part time jobs in the coffee shop and participate in weekly professional development workshops. K’von Harris-Robinson is now the general manager of the café, after working his way up from starting as a barista. “We really become that support system for people who don’t have it,” Harris-Robinson said. Although the pandemic has challenged the café's operations, employees remained on payroll and the café transitioned to other sources of income including offering take-home items and selling merchandise online. As indoor dining continues to return and grow, The Monkey & the Elephant is hoping to expand the program next year.
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New Home for Teen Moms in Foster Care in Mobile |
Last month for Child Abuse Prevention Month, a Mobile, AL non-profit dedicated a new state-of-the-art home housing the Babies First program serving teen moms in foster care. The program helps up to 10 mothers ages 14 to 21 years old and 10 infants at a time, providing services including counseling, community engagement, work employment, and role modeling. There is also a Parent Education Support Program, funded through the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and the Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama. Kirara Seldon, the program manager for Babies First, says the program helps “Reduce the cycle of abuse and neglect in their own children’s lives…We help them process their trauma. Help them overcome childhood barriers. And things that have contributed to their placement in foster care.”
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‘Put ourselves in their shoes’: Camp Provides Week Without Labels for Foster Kids |
Camp Rockin’ U is a California week-long summer camp operating out of a resort property that aims to serve a diverse group of campers including children who are in foster care. Approximately 30% of the campers at Camp Rockin’ U come through the foster care system, but there is anonymity at camp where none of the children are made aware of another’s circumstance. At camp, children are exposed to traditional camp activities including sports, crafts, and cabin living, with the goal of developing children into strong leadership-driven counselors for future camp seasons. They held a Family Fun Day earlier this month to raise awareness of their programming and provide activities for the community.
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New Program Helps Prevent Trauma of Family Separation |
A new Family Resource Center opened in North Cobb, GA last month, serving local families trying to maintain their family structure. The program, introduced by Advocates for Children, is called “Together for Families” and provides wraparound services to low-income families involved in the child welfare system. To qualify for help, parents must have current child welfare involvement and their children must be in their care. They must also have a poverty-related crisis barrier preventing their children from being safe in their homes. Close-relative caregivers and recently reunified parents are also served by the program. “Without advocacy and guidance in the realm of child protective services, families can bear life-long scars from child removal and prolonged family separation…Problems can be solved without breaking up a family,” said Rachel Castillo, Pres. and CEO of Advocate for Children.
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Young Adults in Foster Care Find Unconditional Support at the HUB |
Autumn Yoder was placed in foster care when she was 15 years old, eventually aging out of care without permanency. Yoder credits the support of the HUB Lincoln, a Nebraska organization serving young adults transitioning out of foster care, with helping her find stability in young adulthood. The HUB has about 400 participants in various programs, including GED classes, employment readiness courses, and general support groups for young adults ages 14 to 24 who have been in or aged out of foster care. Yoder, like many HUB participants, received housing assistance and her GED certificate, with the support of HUB staff who work with each individual to create a plan. She also credits the social connections she made there with teaching her critical life skills. Now, Yoder has financial, career and personal goals in mind. “I’m looking forward to building the kind of family I wish I would’ve had as a child,” she said.
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EMBARK Develops Program to Expedite Family Reunification |
In 2019, EMBARK, the Metro Transit of Oklahoma City, launched Climb Ride, a pilot program to remove transportation as a barrier to Oklahoma County residents working toward reunification with their children in foster care. Climb Ride provides participants access to a suite of transportation options, including existing or on-demand services to complete their court-ordered activities such as visitation, education, or rehabilitation. Nearly 6,300 trips were completed during the pilot phase, and the program helped reunite 22 families, saving the state up to $30,000 per case in foster care services and support, due to the quicker family reunifications. “The Climb Ride program is a great example of what can be done to improve human services program outcomes and reduce costs,” said Scott Bogren, Community Transportation Association of America executive director.
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The Field Center team would like to thank the staff who brought this newsletter together and their contributions in providing readers with this uplifting content. Many thanks to our Program Manager Sarah Wasch for editing and our Administrative Coordinator Felicia Saunders for handling design and distribution. Special thanks to our Managing Faculty Director, Dr. Johanna Greeson for her idea to curate the “good news stories” happening in child welfare! |
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