Month in Review: June 2024
June brought the end of the school year for most of our schools here in Eastern PA, and while that is an exciting time for many kids, it also brings some challenges to those working in child welfare. For our most vulnerable children, school is often a safe, dependable place where they know they can get a meal and be watched over by safe and caring adults. Without these extra sets of eyes on children every day making sure they are safe and cared for, some children and families are at risk of falling through the cracks. Because teachers and school personnel are Mandated Reporters (meaning, they are legally obligated to report any suspected child abuse or safety concerns to the state for investigation), child abuse reports typically tend to drop in the summer. This leads to less referrals for foster care.
In June, we received 85 referrals which is slightly lower than it has been the last few months, but not significantly lower. However, June also brought a huge influx of a very specific type of referral that we don't see as much throughout the rest of the year: children needing short-term respite placements while their foster families are away on vacation. Many of these children were in kinship placements, while some were in traditional foster care homes. While foster parents often ARE generally allowed to bring children along on vacation with them, there are many reasons it might not be feasible. They may have booked the vacation far in advance before they knew the child was going to be placed with them, the child might not be approved to go along due to missing court or visits, or the family may just need a break.
We were happy to be able to provide short-term respite homes to two of these children (both of whom are in kinship placements) during the month of June. In addition, we also placed two children into a regular foster home. Here is a further breakdown of the stats from June:
Age Breakdown:
- 0-2: 14 children
- 3-5: 24 children
- 6-8: 6 children
- 9-11: 10 children
- 12-14: 12 children
- 15-17: 17 children
- 18+: 2 children
Siblings:
- 25 single children
- 9 sibling groups of 2
- 6 sibling groups of 3
- 2 sibling groups of 4
- 1 sibling group of 6
One thing we are always doing in our foster care program is keeping our eyes on the changing needs, and adjusting our programs to be able to better meet those needs. In light of this, we are excited to be working on a new program that will recruit families specifically to provide short-term and emergency care to children. While the summer is definitely going to be a time where this is greatly needed, there is also a year-round need for these types of placements. If you are interested in learning more about offering your home as a short-term or emergency foster home, please contact us to learn more! We would love to have you.
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