Families United

Program Overview

Families United is a relative support program that assists relatives and kinship caregivers in obtaining their foster care licenses. We understand the unique challenges prospective caregivers face, such as tight deadlines, which can make navigating the process alone difficult.

Kinship placements and adoptions often happen abruptly, placing a sudden responsibility on the caregiver. We recognize the significance of providing emotional support throughout the entire journey. Our dedicated team of specialists stands by families every step of the way, offering comprehensive advocacy, material resources, assistance with application completion, and crisis support. Our role encompasses advocacy, education, empathy, and healing, connecting families with the necessary community resources to navigate the challenges they encounter.

What to Expect

Families United encompasses two approaches to assisting relatives and kinship families: License-Ready assistance and Relative Support. For the License-Ready approach, a Families United Specialist works with a family to complete the entirety of the licensing process. This includes writing the home study, completing all necessary licensing documents, collecting required forms, and offering required trainings. They also will attend meetings and court hearings with the family when needed, assist the family in understanding the child welfare system, and connect them with community resources. Once a family is license-ready, the Families United Specialist will transfer their case to the licensing department affiliated with the child’s foster care case. After the family is licensed, their Families United Specialist remains as a support to them until the child’s case has closed.

For the Relative Support program, a Relative Support Specialist will provide 90 days of intensive support for relative and kinship foster parents regardless of their intent to be licensed. This may include parent coaching, assessing and responding to the unique emotional needs of relative and kinship caregivers, assisting with licensure paperwork, and connecting the family with a wealth of resources in the community. In Relative Support, we also create an Eco-Map with each family to help them visualize their support network and lean into their natural strengths. We also provide additional support through a voluntary, monthly support group specifically tailored to the needs of relative/kinship parents.

Program Goals

The primary goal of Families United is to create a supportive environment for relatives and kinship families to maintain a healthy, stable home for their loved ones. We offer a wide range of resources to ensure our families can navigate the child welfare system while receiving personalized support and guidance from our team of experts.

Families United is dedicated to uplifting relative and kinship families, providing diligent assistance in all areas of the foster and adoptive process. We aim for every family to feel heard, advocated for, and supported throughout their journey.

Contact

Summer Renne – Director of Families United
1750 South Brentwood Boulevard, Suite 210, Saint Louis, MO 63144
o 314.367.8373
e summer@foster-adopt.org

Families United Inquiry Form