Creating partnerships, supporting families
What We Do
Connecting Parents & Caregivers
We offer support for parents whose children are placed in foster care and those who are caring for the children as they work to build a collaborative, child-centered partnership.
Our services include:
- Facilitated comfort calls or letter exchanges soon after placement
- Connections Meetings
(in person, virtual and paper options)
- Caregiver and parent relationship support provided by experienced peer mentors.
Family Connections
Trainings
We offer an array of trainings for professionals, parents and caregivers. Incorporating personal experience and storytelling, these trainings cover a variety of topics related to Family Connections, including "Why Do Relationships Matter in Child Welfare", "Relationship Building Tips for Caregivers", and "The Value of Relationships in Supporting Family Reunification".
Learn More
The Family Connections Program was created through collaboration among parents, caregivers (relatives, suitable adults/fictive kin, and foster & adoptive parents), Amara, Olive Crest, King County CASA, DCYF Child Welfare field and support staff, Parent Allies, The Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence, Fostering Connections for Families LLC, and staff from various Early Intervention agencies with CHERISH programs in King County; as members of the Child Welfare Community Connections Advisory Panel (CWC-CAP) sponsored by CHERISH.
The Family Connections Program is based on the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Icebreaker Meetings (Icebreaker Meetings - The Annie E. Casey Foundation (aecf.org)).