NEW: RI DCYF Receives $2 Million Grant to Recruit Foster Families
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announced today that it has been awarded a five-year, $2,000,000 federal grant for the "diligent recruitment of families for children in the foster care system."
The grant, called A Family for Every Child!, comes from the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, and will focus on identifying, recruiting and retaining kinship, foster and adoptive families that reflect the diversity of children in care. The grant will specifically focus on identifying families for those children who are least likely to achieve permanency in a family setting, including older children, children with emotional, behavioral and physical health needs, children of color and children who are part of sibling groups.
Janice DeFrances, Director of DCYF said, "Rhode Island is a tight-knit and caring community. We are confident that this grant will help our community to support those children who - due to safety concerns - are unable to remain in their homes of origin. We believe this grant will ensure that all children are able to achieve their full potential through the nurturing support of lasting family connections."
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The first year of the grant will be devoted to planning for this initiative with the Department’s community partners, including the Ocean State Network for Children, RI Care Management Network, The Providence Plan, FosterForward, Adoption RI, Progreso Latino, the Urban League and the Center for Southeast Asians. Additional community partners will be invited as the grant progresses.
According to the DCYF, one of "the most exciting aspects of this grant" will be the creation of a Resource Family Center, which will ensure a more coordinated and collaborative approach to foster family identification, recruitment and support. In addition, this grant will provide additional resources to support kinship connections.
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