R Kids New Haven

Hi everyone.

My name is Bernie joe Walton and I'm doing my

field placement.

Our kids inc, which is in New Haven Connecticut.

It's a family center that works with DCF.

So basically our kids inc the background is our kids

was founded in new haven Connecticut in 1996 by a

group of foster and adoptive parents.

Our kids were set out to address families facing issues

of substance abuse and violence, mission permanency, safety and stability

for vulnerable Children and their families vision.

Our kids believes that the needs of an entire family

are essential for a child success.

Our kids using a holistic approach in the best entrance

of the child one by working with the parents who

feel defeated to help them develop a plan of success

for them and their Children to we advocate for birth

parents who often feel isolated by understanding and emphasizing barriers

they face.

Our kids works with birth parents to build and reestablish

connections between them and their Children.

So the population served as parents, Children, foster homes, adoptive

parents. The department of Children and Families services offer includes

reunifying families and permanency placement, Foster care services, adoption related

services, educational and training services and 0 to 3 programs.

Mhm. Reunifying families and permanency placement.

So that includes like supervised visits, transportation to and from

visits, advocating for Children and parents, training courses and improvement.

So the reunifying family services basically.

First families are referred to our kids by the Department

of Children and Families for assessment and reunification transition.

So basically if a child is taken from, it's taken

by DCF from their biological parents and then put in

a temporary for secure facility or home.

We basically work with the families that are referred to

us to help the parents um you know, help them

get into different trainings and courses to help combat whatever

issues they were having in the home to basically reunify

the family in the future.

So the foster care services includes working with um foster

homes that are licensed to DCF and other agencies that

provide care for the Children who have been removed.

Um So we basically work to support the families, not

only the parents but the Children as well to like

help the parent meet the child's needs.

So I feel like our kids access the middleman between

the foster care and the biological family.

So basically they keep the foster care home and loop

of what's going on with the biological parent and then

as the biological parent meets the needs of the child

at D.

C. S.

D. CFCs fit, then we were you would not find

the family.

So we also offer adoption services.

So adoption services include like a home study to see

like if the adoptive home is going to be well

fit for a child to um we do the license

approval. So helping the adoptive parents receive their license to

become adoptive parents.

Um they do the pre adoption training, coordinating and assistance

and locating available Children.

So basically finding Children that the um family will basically

be able to adopt um post placement supervision.

So basically keeping an ongoing relationship with the adoptive parents

and the Children and then completing the legal process to

finalize the adoption as well.

Our kids is able to do that struck education and

training services.

So for education and training services we have parenting support

education groups.

So basically just different groups that help support parents and

educate parents as well.

We have foster parent training.

So being a foster parent like you know it can

be challenging.

So they have training that foster parents can take a

part in in some topics.

Um Focus on behavioural management, sibling issues, independent living and

different things that can help foster parent overall and then

we have a fault.

They have a foster youth group which is a 12

week foster youth group entitled project.

So it was like a site, it's a site based

program on being a foster kid, so helping foster kids

with communication skills, social skills and it's aimed at developing

self esteem for um Children and youth between the ages

of eight and 11.

Their homework homework club groups which provide after school um

Help for your um youth between the ages of 11

and 14 to both foster and adoptive Children.

And then last when I leave the on site C.

T. Association of Foster and adoptive parents.

So this is Connecticut's Association of Foster and adoptive parents

makes it um difference to live in a foster and

adoptive relative caregiver by providing support, training and advocacy through

its partnership with child welfare professionals and the entire community

to note your child's safety, well being and stability.

Okay. And the 0 to 3 program.

Our kids was selected by the national 0 to 3

organization to participate in their program.

The program focuses on improving how the courts, child welfare

agencies and local community partner organizations work together, share information

and expedite services for young Children.

So it helps keep all those agencies intertwined and working

together And it's for Children up to the age of

36 months old and have been removed from D.

C. F.

From their parent or guardian.

So I thought it was important to mention this.

So basically the our kids reunification rate is 83% compared

to DCF reunification rate is 52%.

So the DCF reunification rate at 52% is basically DCF

working um by their self and those that were referred

to our kids have a higher reunification rate.

So I thought it was important to um mentioned that

this. So for the services offer that fall under quadrant

A for would entail is framework framework, I would say

family therapy and home visits for unification assessments and supervised

visits. Quad be would be adoption training services, all license

services, parent coaching and training opportunities.

Quazi would be the communication with the cF the communication

with resources, schooling to Prezi family housing assistance, family assistance

services for example.

Um our kids will help advocate for parents to receive

food stamps, health insurance for them and their Children as

well as housing, all different types of resources that our

kids is able to assist parents with receiving.

I don't feel like any of the services will fall

under quadrant e um issues face.

I've just recently started my field placement.

I had started late so some, I haven't really seen

any ethical issues firsthand, but some issues that I can

like touch on that are obvious what I would just

say. Like um, parents being referred to different resources.

It's kind of a little harder with Covid because some

classes might not be taken as many parents as they

used to do to the fact that Covid restrictions and

I feel like it just would have been a bit

easier to get like a lot of resources done before

Covid. And then now we're dealing with Covid is kind

of probably a little harder.

So I also kind of feel like it's hard to

do an in depth assessment with DCF and their families

using zoom and other electronic devices.

Sometimes parents don't have access to death stops, cell phones

or computers and sometimes they just aren't tech savvy.

So it's a little bit harder.

Yeah. And right here I mentioned, um, the website, the

phone number and the email.

I don't believe that anyone personally can refer a family

to our kids.

I think that the family has to be referred by

DCF for them to and take like all the opportunities

that our kids offers.

And here's the references.

R Kids New Haven

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