Foster families, real
care
ANDREA
WOLF/Times-Herald staff writer
Implementation of national initiatives, new housing
programs for youth coming out of foster care and counseling and support
services throughout the county have all contributed to Solano's
high rating.
Family to Family
Tyffany Wanberg, a county social worker, said the number of foster
children within the county is decreasing largely because of the Family to
Family Initiative. It is a national family-centered and neighborhood-based
system of foster care adopted by
The initiative's principles are ensuring children's
safety, keeping children in families and forging partnerships among child
welfare systems and the community.
"We only place children in foster care if it
is unsafe for them to remain at home; we try to do all we can to work with
families before it becomes necessary," Wanberg
said. "We rely a lot on the community to provide help for keeping kids
with their families."
Physical abuse and general neglect are the biggest
issues, accounting for about half of the total referrals to child welfare
groups.
"It is important we do a lot of preventative
work to get in there and help parents and try to get children to stay in their
families before removing the children becomes necessary," Wanberg said.
Family to Family has outlined four strategies to
address the needs of foster children in the county. Members of each category
gather monthly and members of the community or anyone interested are invited to
attend.
"We have opened our doors to everyone, we
don't want to have the mystique of being secretive," Wanberg
said.
The first category focuses on finding, supporting and
maintaining foster and kinship families who can provide homes to children in
their own neighborhoods.
Family to Family has focused on trying to recruit
more foster parents within
Foster parent pre-training is offered three times a
year in
The second goal is to establish relationships with
a wide range of organizations in neighborhoods with high referral rates by
communicating with schools, parents, youth groups and family resource centers, Wanberg said.
Thirdly, Family to Family involves birth families
and community members in all placement decisions to ensure a network of support
for the children and the adults who care for them.
The final category focuses on collecting and
analyzing data about foster children and their families to evaluate where
improvements can be made and changes are needed.
"We have a mandate to address every family and
a responsibility to address the individual needs of each family," Wanberg said. "There are some families that are in
crisis and some families don't even have to go to court to resolve their
problems."
The next step for Child Welfare Services is to work
on building stronger networks with the county's faith-based organizations to
provide another resource for children and their families, Wanberg
said.
Older foster kids
In August, a new resource opened in
New Beginnings Support Services provides youth with
basic necessities to help them transition into self-sufficient adults.
However, the center's founder, Cynthia Grady,
has cupboards stuffed with food, hundreds of hygine
kits, even a spare bed, just waiting for someone in need to come pick them up.
"We have been so blessed with donations, now
we just need to let kids know we are here to help them," Grady said.
"It doesn't do any good to have formula here and a baby out there
hungry."
The center is staffed with community volunteers and
child welfare professionals and is open weekday evenings and during the day on
Saturdays to help young adults, 18 to 24.
Staff helps youths develop Individual Transition
Plans to help them through difficult times, like graduating high school,
getting into college, finding their own apartment or getting a job.
The center is a relaxing, welcoming place where
people can come check their e-mail, do laundry, take a shower, or cook a meal,
Grady said.
"When these kids age-out of foster care a lot
of times they just couch surf at friend's houses until they wear out their
welcome. Next thing you know they are out on the street or sleeping under a
bridge," Grady said.
In October, Grady is holding a suitcase drive to collect
donated luggage to give to foster children.
"Most foster kids go from house to house with
everything they own in a trash bag. I want to be able to give them a little
dignity by at least having a suitcase to store their valuables in," Grady
said.
Grady is also planning a Thanksgiving dinner for
young adults who have no where to go during the holidays.
People have volunteered all kinds of services to
New Beginnings to help these youths transition into adulthood. Grady, a foster
parent herself, said she can help get someone a haircut for an interview, write
their resume or figure out how to get car insurance.
Once kids turn 18, they are often turned out of
their foster homes with out ever learning the skills needed to be a productive
adult, Grady said.
"If I don't have what they need here, I will
find it for them," Grady said.
New Beginnings Support Services is located at 124
Sperry Ave. Apt. B. For more information contact Cynthia Grady at
E-mail Andrea Wolf at awolf@thnewnet.com or call
By the numbers
62.3 - Average number per 1,000 of instances of
child abuse or neglect reported to Child Welfare Systems in
63.3 - Percent of children that had been in foster
care for less than 12 months when reunited with their families from July 2004
to June 2005
23.4 - Percent of children who were in foster care
for less than 24 months when adopted from foster care between July 2004 and
June 2005
94.1 - Percentage of child abuse or neglect
referrals investigated immediately 86.6 - Percentage of child abuse or neglect
referrals investigated within 10 days
At a glance
• published by the Children's Network, an
organization concerned about the health and well being
of children in
• Children's Network analyzes extensive data
gathered since 2003 to come up with this year's grade.
• The last Solano County Children's Report Card was
released in 2003.
• Researched issues include the number of children
reunited with their families after being in foster care, how many instances of
maltreatment in foster care were reported, and the average time for adoption.
