Here at Children's Home Network, we couldn't be prouder of the children and families who have unlocked their potential and experiencing. Whether it's through our Kid's Village, Kinship Services, or Fostering Families team, all the lives we touch have the potential to be transformed.
Tonya and Raheem’s Story
Approximately 15 years ago, child welfare experts recognized that most children do much better socially, emotionally, academically, behaviorally, and psychologically if they are living with people they know and love. Relative care is an option that reduces the risk of siblings being separated and reinforces the child’s sense of belonging and culture. This is especially true when families find themselves involved with child welfare services and their children cannot remain in their care. Removal, even for safety reasons, is traumatic for the entire family, and children are fearful about who will take care of them. The most important factor for the child in care is to ensure that they maintain critical connections to family. Family can be related or not and are a preferred option to placing children in foster homes, regardless of the wonderful care foster parents provide.
For years when children were removed from their parents or guardians, they were placed into foster homes and relatives were not thoroughly explored as a preferred placement option. Fortunately, this has dramatically changed with Family Finding. Relative placement is now the preferred practice following removal. CHN’s Family Finding Program in Hillsborough County began providing services in October 2019. Since its inception, Family Finding’s impact has been tremendous both in numbers and in terms of keeping children connected with family and loved ones, something every child deserves. Since 2019 we have assisted 1,759 children which were referred to us by Child Protective Investigators. Of those 1,759 children, CHN found safe and familiar relative caregivers for 869. That is 869 children who, instead of entering foster care, were embraced by someone they have a connection with.
Older brother Raheem, 13, and his sister Tonya, 10, came to the attention of child protective services following egregious reports of physical abuse. At the time, there was not a foster home available to place a brother and sister together. The case was assigned to a Family Finding Specialist from Children's Home Network, who diligently researched and located Raheem and Tonya’s adult brother. It was discovered that the family had previous involvement with child welfare and their brother was considered a placement resource, but his living situation didn’t allow for it at that time. When the Family Finding Specialist reconnected with him shortly after, it was learned that his living and financial situation had changed.
Even though he was now able to care for them, the task was still understandably overwhelming. CHN’s Kinship team was prepared to step in. Kinship Navigators made the stressful transition easier by helping him access services that are often unfamiliar to individuals who may not be recent parents or parents previously. CHN’s Kinship program provides relative caregivers with things such as peer support, legal services, financial aid, and many other tools to help the transition go as smooth as possible. With Kinship at his side, he felt confident he would be able to provide for their needs. The children have been in their adult brother’s care for the past two years. He is able and willing to make the commitment to continuing to raise them in a safe, familiar, loving, and healthy home.
CHN is grateful to provide integral programs for the community such as Family Finding. We are committed to restoring and maintaining ‘families’ for children so they will have not only warmer holidays, but more stable futures. Not every child has available and appropriate relatives or non-relatives to be their caregiver, but for those that do, it is our duty to identify them quickly for the sake of the child or sibling group.
If you would like to help support the program and all that it provides, please visit our donation page.
Linda And Amelia
Linda is the mother of an adult daughter who struggled with a serious substance abuse addiction. The substance abuse led to her neglecting home life and most importantly, her 6 year old daughter, Amelia. Amelia was removed by Protective Investigators and placed into Linda and her husband Tom’s care. Fortunately they were referred to CHN’s Kinship program and immediately received tangible resources and much needed support for navigating the system. Linda stepped up for the ones she loves, ensuring her granddaughter would not spend another holiday in a traumatic situation.
READ linda’s entire STORY
Brandon’s Healing
Fifteen year old Brandon has lived at Kid's Village for two years and his life before coming to the Children’s Home Network was full of chaos and abuse due to domestic violence and substance abuse in his home. Through involvement in therapy and recreational activities to address his trauma, Brandon was able to develop resiliency to truly define the odds. The power of connection, consistency and quality care was transformative for Brandon and he did not allow his adverse childhood experiences to define him.
Read his entire story
Linda's Kinship
Linda and her husband were asked to take in their two-month-old granddaughter, Samantha. Little did they know it would take four years to finalize her adoption. Linda was excited when she found information in the local paper that a Kinship Services program was coming to Pasco County. She was thrilled to meet people who were “in the same boat,” as she was. She found it was informative and learned about many other resources available in the area. The group has helped Linda get through the process step by step and continues to help guide Linda as Samantha grows.
Read her entire Story
Austin's Story
Austin and his older sister were originally placed together in a foster home. Unfortunately, due to his exceptional needs that put his older sibling at risk, Austin was moved and placed in the Specialized Therapeutic foster home of Lisa and Alvaro Gonzalez. The family recognized that in order for the siblings to successfully transition home, they needed to live together again and receive family services jointly in the foster home, as well as with their mother. Together with the Fostering Families care team, the siblings - who had been living separately for over a year - were unified and are now living together with the Gonzalez family.
Read Austin's Entire Story
Johnnie's Story
Johnnie was diagnosed with Autism when he was two years old. Under the blanket of Autism, he suffers from an array of conditions, including: sensory integration, disorder, severe eating diversion, overall developmental delays, moderate dyspraxia, and social and behavioral impairment. After participating in our Pinellas Support Team program, Johnnie has now developed a relationship with everyone in his household and even made friends at school.
