Drive-Thru Event Recognizes Foster Care Families, Particularly Amidst Pandemic

A drive-through event for foster families will be held at The Village for Families & Children in Hartford next Wednesday, as part of Foster Care Awareness Month. Participants include Village staff and dozens of foster care families participating in the Therapeutic Foster Care Program, which provides nurturing foster homes for children ages 6-18 who have been exposed to trauma.  Village staff will distribute food, supplies and gifts to the foster parents and children.

Right now, there are 150 children in Connecticut who are awaiting placement in a foster home, according to officials, who point out that the pandemic has made recruitment of new parents much more difficult. The event aims to not only help current families but show potential foster parents how The Village offers continuing supports - even after placement occurs. 

About 424,000 youth under age 18 currently live in foster care in the U.S, according to the most recent data.

The Therapeutic Foster Care program (TFC) at The Village provides safe, nurturing foster homes for children ages 6-18 who have been exposed to trauma and may be challenged with emotional, behavioral or psychiatric issues.

Through the use of wrap-around services and support, TFC assists children in foster care to achieve their goal of a permanent home. Foster families receive extensive training, care management support and support group opportunities. Outpatient therapy, case management, on-call support and referrals to other clinical services are available for foster children.

With more than 500 professional staff members, including child psychologists, clinicians, social workers and parent educators, The Village provides a full range of behavioral health, early childhood and youth development, substance use treatment and support services for children, adults and families in the Greater Hartford region. It was one of the first agencies in the country to provide homes for neglected children.

In an official statement issued by the White House, President Biden noted that “Young people in foster care have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. They are navigating circumstances that are already tough, and those challenges are compounded by a public health crisis that made housing, employment and educational opportunities even harder to access.”

The statement also noted that “Throughout our history and persisting today, too many communities of color, especially Black and Native American communities, have been treated unequally and often unfairly by the child welfare system. Black and Native American children are far more likely than white children to be removed from their homes, even when the circumstances surrounding the removal are similar. Once removed, Black and Native American children stay in care longer and are less likely to either reunite with their birth parents or be adopted. Too many children are removed from loving homes because poverty is often conflated with neglect, and the enduring effects of systemic racism and economic barriers mean that families of color are disproportionately affected by this as well. Children with disabilities are over-represented among youth in care and may be inappropriately placed in group settings instead of provided the individualized support they need.”

The event will take place at The Village on June 2 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, at 1680 Albany Avenue in Hartford.