Safe Families

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now. I learned about this wonderful program - "Safe Families" - from the Louisville based Orphan Care Alliance. Since you can visit the Safe Families website and get all the info you want, it seems futile to write an entire post about it... Although I could because it is THAT amazing.

A couple things about Safe Families that I really want to point out is that it is voluntary and supplemental to the care the parents are providing. It is not mandated by the state - the parents choose to seek a Safe Family for their kids before their situation (addiction, jail time, homelessness, job loss, etc.) escalates to the point that child protective services becomes involved. It keeps kids out of an already overtaxed and underfunded foster care system, provides them with a safe Christian home and allows their parents to take care of some adult business.

Below is an overivew of the program (and some interesting tidbits I pulled from their website and a video for you visual types). Don't take it from me, check it out! It really is amazing and there is a Louisville chapter in the works as we speak! So pumped about that!

When crisis strikes, many of us rely on relatives and our church family for support. But for some parents, there isn't a safety net. Often problems such as drug addiction, domestic abuse, incarceration, or illness can be debilitating, making it impossible for parents to care for their children. With the changing economy many more families are experiencing financial crisis, unemployment, and homelessness. During such crisis, children are especially at-risk for neglect or abuse as their parents struggle to cope with crushing circumstances and emotions.

Currently, 85% of all families in the project come back together, often in the most stable environment they’ve ever known.

The average length of stay is about six weeks, but placements usually last from two days to a year.

While the Safe Family for Children Project can provide placements for newborns through adolescents (0-18), there will be a concentration on the younger and most vulnerable children (ages 0-6).

For those opening their home to a child the process would include an application, a home visit, ongoing training, and a background check and fingerprinting. In total, you can expect the process to take about 2 months before you would be contacted and a child could be placed in your care.

You can "Like" their facebook page to see some of the amazing things God is doing through this organization.

Did I mention that it is uh-may-zing?!