ALL OUR KIDS INC
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Mission Statement
All Our Kids, Inc. empowers Western Massachusetts foster and adoptive families to thrive by enriching community connectedness, providing education and resources, and helping the public understand and support our experience.
About This Cause
AOK is addressing the foster care crisis in Western Massachusetts where the number of children in need of foster care placement is double the available foster families. Though the region has more children in foster care then both the Boston region and the Central Mass region, it has a smaller population and receives fewer statewide resources than the Boston area. The disproportionate burden of children in foster care in our geographic region makes it crucial to retain the foster families we have. Unfortunately, the lack of resources and support make it extremely challenging to recruit and retain foster homes. This imbalance results in children being constantly moved from one short-term placement to the next, or placed unnecessarily in residential treatment centers. AOK's programs provide intensive support for foster parents through community-building events, education, advocacy, and connection to resources. We partner with both local and statewide organizations to avoid duplication of effort and maintain a network of support. AOK's member families consistently report that their most significant challenge (around being a foster parent) is navigating the child welfare system and feeling that their role as a foster parent is not respected or well supported. AOK aims to meet the needs of and improve long-term outcomes for kids in foster care by advocating for, supporting, and helping to retain foster, adoptive, and kinship families. Our focus is on mitigating the greatest challenges families report, and where the least amount of support and resources exist. The ultimate goal of all of AOK’s activities is to support and advocate for foster families in the region, provide families with the tools and motivation they need to stay engaged in the foster care system, and serve as a crucial resource to children in foster care. AOK is committed to building programs that are innovative, measurable, and replicable. To help us realize our vision of a stable family for every child, we have a three-pronged approach: Fostering community, raising awareness, and supporting families. 1. Strengthen a sense of community and mutual support among foster and adoptive families: Until AOK, there was no mechanism to connect foster and adoptive families in the region to each other, which meant families were isolated. AOK connects foster families and adoptive families (who often serve as mentors to the former), online and via in-person events. These connections reduce isolation and increase peer support, resource-sharing, and education so parents experience an increased sense of self-efficacy and are better able to navigate the child welfare system. This mentorship model is the cornerstone of our programs. 2. Raise awareness about the current state of foster care in our region. AOK educates the public via its website, podcast, newsletter, media appearances, and special events. It conducts needs assessments and surveys, collects and compiles statistics, and disseminates information about the current state of foster care in our region. 3. Engage the public to become involved in supporting families: The general public is largely unaware of the needs of children in care, and the ways they can make a difference by supporting foster families. AOK provides a menu of opportunities for the public to become involved in supporting foster children and their families. When communities are actively involved in supporting foster families, those families feel less isolated and overwhelmed, and children are better poised to have their needs met. Some of AOK’s key initiatives/programs include: • Publishing the only state-wide guide to foster care and adoption for prospective and current foster parents • Growing a mentorship and support program, which provides intensive support for individual foster families including in-home visits, outreach, networking, calls, resources, and referrals • Holding four community building events/year, plus workshops for families (e.g., taxes for foster/adoptive families, navigating IEP and 504 plans; navigating the child welfare system) • Developing four professional workshops for mental health providers about the experiences of families navigating the foster care system, some of whom seek support from these mental health providers • Creating a “free store” of gently used infant/kid gear AOK was founded after careful, empirical examination including a community asset mapping and needs assessment process. Our strategic plans are rooted in empirical methods of program evaluation and continuous quality improvement methodologies. AOK has the passion, skills and expertise to make a significant impact on foster children and families in Western Massachusetts. We invite you to partner with us and would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how you can contribute to ensuring that all children in foster care have the stable families and homes they need.