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Please explore the adoption which in Palm Beach County is handled by Children’s Home Society. They host an adoption information session the 3rd Tuesday of every month at through the Children’s Home Society. Information sessions are held online. Please contact preadoptionpb@chsfl.org or 561-868-4300 for the meeting link.
Here are the local, state, and national links to the Heart Galleries (foster kids cleared for adoption).
Next, here’s the link to information on adopting including the forms: https://heartgallerypbc.org/kids/learn-about-adoption/ Additionally, Selfless Love Foundation has a matching program the connects children waiting for an adoptive family with families who want to adopt. It has been described as the “e-harmony” of family matching. Learn more: http://selflesslovefoundation.org/family-match/ (t). Want to meet children available for adoption? Visit local station CBS12 segment Forever Families shares heartwarming video stories of children looking for homes here: https://cbs12.com/features/forever-family The local adoptions licensing agency is Children’s Home Society of Florida, 561-868-4300, preadoptionpb@chsfl.org
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 CBS12's Liz Quirantes highlights two sisters hoping for a Forever Family willing to adopt them both. Watch these heartwarming stories to learn more about Talia & Jojo and how you can help. "Sisters Jojo and Talia want to be adopted together and grow up in the same house." Part 1: https://cbs12.com/features/forever-family/forever-family-meet-jojo-september-22-2022 "Sisters Jojo and Talia both dream of a future where they can grow up together." Part 2: https://cbs12.com/features/forever-family/forever-family-meet-talia-place-of-hope-october-6-2022 Learn more about the adoption process in Palm Beach County by visiting Children's Home Society's Heart Gallery: https://heartgallerypbc.org/kids/learn-about-adoption. An information session is held the third Tuesday of every month, 6:30pm.
by Liz Quirantes Wednesday, August 24th 2022
One of several foster parent licensing agencies in Palm Beach County, Martin County, Saint Lucie County, Indian River County, Broward County, Camelot Community Care hosts several virtual information sessions each month.
Palm Beach County: Camelot Community Care, Greenacres/Lake Worth, FL You Can Change a Lifetime! All Kinds of people are foster parents. They may be younger or older, have young children, adult children, or no biological children at all. They may own their own home or rent, be a one or two income family, or even retired. Foster Parents are just like you! Becoming a Foster Parent with Camelot Community Care is an opportunity to be part of a team of dedicated professionals caring for children who through no fault of their own, have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect. Camelot Community Care provides two types of foster care programs, Traditional Foster Care and Treatment Foster Care. Information sessions are held each month on the 2nd Tuesday (10am or 5pm) and on the 4th Wednesday (9am or 6pm). Learn more... or visiting the Upcoming Events page for a current list and to RSVP Want to help by donating items for Foster Children in Care? There are many way to help foster kids and teens and recognizing the need when you receive a new placement, a foster mom that we have worked with for years started a wonderful non-profit organization with her sister called “The Hands and Feet."
The goal of The Hands and Feet is to provide immediate necessities for caregivers of children who have been sheltered and are in the child welfare dependency system, once a child is placed in the home with a caregiver (foster, relative, non-relative). They work immediately after the need request comes in and their goal is to help provide items for children as soon as possible after the child is placed in the home. Once a request is made, they will provide the requested items within 48 hours—unless the item has to be specially ordered. One example of a special order she gave was that a child needed a very specific type of expensive formula. They were able to get the formula for the baby very expeditiously allowing the foster parent to focus on the child's other needs rather than going to various stores to track down the specialty item. They also provide cribs, strollers, clothes, toys, car seats, etc. donated by the community. If the caregiver needs delivery, they will simply drop off the items on the doorstep. If the caregiver needs help setting up furniture, they can do that too. As foster moms, they understand that it takes a village to raise a child. Gently used items and new items can be donated. There's even a Wish List for items which need to be purchased (like a baby registry) if you would prefer to make a donation that way. To coordinate a donation or find out where you can drop off items, visit their website: www.handsandfeetfl.com www.handsandfeetfl.com You may also reach out email at thehandsandfeetpbc@gmail.com.  How does abuse and neglect affect brain development? As a foster/adoptive parent or a prospective parent, it's important to educate yourself to recognize signs of developmental delays and build a toolkit to help your child.
GALs - does your child need a mentor? Children's Home Society has two mentoring programs and we can initiate the process. They'll do the leg work in getting any other sign-offs and they've helped a couple of my kids get connected.
Contact info is below along with a link to the form: Bruna Galvao, Coordinator for Project 18 mentoring program for foster kids ages 13-18, 561-868-4323, Bruna.Galvao@chsfl.org; Margie Norton, Coordinator for MODEL Mentoring program for foster kids ages 6-12, 561-868-4445 office, 561-779-3340 margie.norton@chsfl.org; Want to learn more or volunteer to be a mentor (2 year, 1 hour a week commitment): Visit https://www.chsfl.org/services/for-teens/mentoring/, or contact Brenda Coleman who oversees the Children’s Home Society mentoring programs at 561-868-4323, Brenda.coleman@chsfl.org. Help local Foster Kids!! Join us for Networking To Help Children benefiting Speak Up for Kids Palm Beach County with special guest bartenders Tiffany Copeland, Adrienne Gang, and Ross Inia from "Below Deck". Guaranteed to be a fun night with this Crew On Deck!!   A HUGE thank you to Bolay and especially their Wellington location for donating food for our volunteer child advocates to enjoy during the holiday wrapping event where over 50 community partners have donated toys, bikes, gift cards and clothes for the over 1700 foster children here in Palm Beach County. Here’s a quote from Bolay “This time of year is all about giving and we are honored to be a part of your incredible efforts with Speak Up For Kids”. Earlier this year we were hanging out with Bolay's West Palm Beach Crew for National Adoption Month. Thanks @Bolay Community for caring about our local foster kids!! After raising her biological children, Dorothy felt the pangs of loneliness and decided to fill her home by fostering children. Almost 50 kids and 26 years later, she's found great joy helping to "bridge" families back together and even becoming a Forever Family for two little ones, including Gabby who co-stars in this video. We asked Dorothy for one piece of advice for those considering fostering... she said "Try" - you don't have to be perfect, you just have to care and it will change both their life and your life forever. Where to donate gifts for Foster Kids this holiday season?
Speak Up For Kids holiday drive ensures local children receive gifts for the holiday. Various locations drop-off locations throughout the county. Needed are new/unwrapped toys, clothes, sports equipment, etc. plus Gift Cards for our teens.There are 1700+ children under DCF supervision and 1200 Palm Beach County kids living in an "out-of-home" situation so the need for gifts is high. Ages of children "in care" vary but about 600 of the kids in out-of-home care are ages 0-5, 300 ages 6-12, and 300 13-18. Keep us in mind too after the holidays, gifts and gifts cards are needed for birthdays - it's such an important event for kids to celebrate and many have never enjoyed a birthday celebration EVER. Donation Dropoff Locations to date:
*Foster Palm Beach is a program of Speak Up For Kids, and any support should be made directly to them https://speakupforkidspbc.org/. Holiday Gift Drive for Foster Children Heavenly Father, the birth of your Son Jesus Christ brought great joy to Mary and Joseph. We thank you for every child whose birth brought great joy into the world. So, we pray that these orphans will bring great joy to the family that will take them in. Heavenly Father, our prayer is that they grow up healthy in body and strong in spirit, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we pray for the orphans that they may grow up in families, that as they begin to discover something of themselves and of your world, their gifts and talents may be used creatively, their decisions may be based on what is good and of real worth, and their lives may be directed in the paths you have planned. Heavenly Father, we pray for their spiritual development, that they may grow up in the fear of God, in the faith of Christ, and in the fellowship of the Church, to love and serve you all their days. Heavenly Father, grant to our orphan children this gift above all, that as they grow in years, they may grow also in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; so that when the time comes, they may go out into the life of the world strong in the faith of the Lord their God. Grant these blessings in the Name of Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen   Listen as WPBF 25's Mark Kelly hears how to become a foster parent and other ways to help Palm Beach County kids. "The first step to becoming a foster parent in Palm Beach County is to attend a one-hour information session at one of the eight licensing providers here in Palm Beach County," says Diana of Speak Up For Kids during a recent interview at WPBF 25 with Mark Kelly. "In fact, you can sign up right now while we're chatting!" [Weekly information sessions/orientations are listed on the www.FosterPalmBeach.org/events page]. At the orientation, you'll learn the requirements to foster children such as background checks, training, and home studies plus you'll find out the various benefits the children receive such as Medicaid, ELC Vouchers, a monthly stipend along with community resources available to you throughout the county. "To succeed, you need community support and many nonprofits and resources are available in Palm Beach County." "These information sessions are designed to provide more detail and then you're ready, you then take the next step." Hear the full interview here: www.wpbf.com/article/foster-palm-beach/29413629
The lead Child Based Care (CBC) agency here in Palm Beach County is ChildNet who subcontracts the licensing and management of homes to various providers. Speak Up For Kids is the nonprofit support to the Guardian ad Litem Program and recognizing the need more caring foster homes and the need for a centralized point for information on becoming a foster parent, Speak Up For Kids created and is devoted to finding caring homes for abused, abandoned, & neglected children in Palm Beach County through their #FosterPalmBeach Program. Other ways to help include Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Child Advocates who spend 10-15 hours a month advocating for a child. Volunteer time as a Guardian ad Litem is fairly flexible - volunteers see the kids at least once every thirty days wherever they are placed, and the other work is often done via phone or email. Volunteers appear in court at least twice a year and file monthly status update reports. Donations to Speak Up For Kids help to fund these programs as well as normalcy items for the children themselves such as birthday cakes/gifts, voice lessons, karate, basketball camps, Girl Scouts, etc. Make a 110% IMPACT! Honda Cares will add a 10% matching bonus to every donation now through February 26, 2020. Forever Families (adoption) are needed for the children whose parents are not able to correct the issues bringing the children "into care" and Mentors are needed to give the children experiences and support the future development into productive and stable young adults. To foster in Palm Beach County, visit our "Upcoming Events" page to sign up for an information sessions. Links for advocating, donating, adopting, or mentoring can be found on the "Other Ways To Help Page". You may also call 561-223-9646 for a one-on-one conversation.   It's long been said that if every church took care of one foster child or orphan, there would be more resources than need, commonly known as One Church, One Child. At Foster Palm Beach, we partner with local faith-based organization to make it easy to help find foster parents, guardian ad litem volunteer child advocates, mentors, and other support. We call this Faith-Based Advocacy and our community partner PBC Unites provides tools for churches, synagogues, and more to easily get involved in foster care initiatives. Flyers, bulletin inserts, bookmarks, and speakers are all available for free! November is National Adoption Month and internationally a celebration is held annualy called Orphan Sunday. To quote CAFO.org (Christian Alliance For Orphans): "As Christians respond to God’s call to care for the orphan, lives are transformed. Orphan Sunday varies as much as the people and churches involved. You can participate through sermons and Sunday school classes, prayer gatherings, and simple meals, fundraisers and live concerts." Visit https://www.pbcunites.org/faith-based-advocacy.html for resources for your foster care ministry.  Tina and Tess We remember Tina from the stories her GAL used to share about her journey through foster care to the wonderful young woman she has become today. Tina was adopted through foster care and now has a forever family. Thanks to CBS12's Liz Quirantes, WPEC, for sharing her story: https://cbs12.com/f…/forever-family/forever-family-meet-tina.
Guardian ad Litem volunteer child advocates like Lynne Brown and Tess (her missed and beloved puppy) stand by our kids and provide a voice for them in court. Teaching them to be brave and advocate for what's best. Want to help? Attend an adoption orientation at CHS (see events page) or visit www.GALPBC.org for information on how to become a GAL.  Video: https://cbs12.com/features/forever-family/forever-family-getting-involved-in-the-guardian-ad-litem-program Thanks to CBS12 & Liz Quirantes for showing the many ways to help Palm Beach County Foster Children.Each week CBS12 highlights a child who is looking for a Forever Family, an adoptive family. Beyond those children needing forever families, Liz and CBS12 raise awareness about the need for foster families, volunteer child advocates, and mentors.
You can volunteer as an advocate to help children navigate the foster system being their voice is a very entangled court system. Imagine being a 9-year old who attends a court hearing about the decisions made for his/her placement and general well-being; how scary would that be! As a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Child Advocate, you'll visit your assigned child(ren) at least once every 30 days, you'll have access to court documents, educational, medical, and therapeutic records. You'll get to know the various parties in the case and then make a best interest recommendation regarding the child, addressing all of their needs. It sounds like a lot but it's easily doable in 10-15 hours a month. Much of the volunteer work can be done in the evenings or weekends, and it's often phone work, so even busy people can find time to help. To take the next step, call the GAL office at 561-355-6224 or visit www.GALPBC.org. You'll complete an interview, attend training, go through a thorough background check, and once certified, you'll be on your way to helping a child succeed. Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL) help foster kids through Guardian ad Litem Program8/23/2019  A partnership between the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Program and Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL) connects FAWL members with older youth in foster care. The FAWL member will mentor the youth as they transition into independence. More info and Free 7 Hours of CLE: https://guardianadlitem.org/get-involved/fawl-in-love-with-gal-forging-their-future/ The Free 7 Hours of CLE for attorneys and law students includes: Includes 2 Hours of Ethics and 1 Hour Bias Elimination Credits 7 Hours certification Credits: Juvenile Law/Marital and Family Law   From Diana Reese, Volunteer Child Advocate, Guardian ad Litem...
So today is my "37th" birthday and here's my wish: That we work together as a community to help children in tough situations. This story is a perfect example. My friend Maria Bond knew Jazzie from her days interning at Friends of Foster Children of Palm Beach County, Inc. When Jazzie took on the parental role of caring for her four younger siblings along with her own one year old, Maria shared WPTV's story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEW5l2k1AnI&feature=youtu.be). I and my friends at Speak Up for Kids Palm Beach County, Foster Palm Beach, & Guardian ad Litem Program-Palm Beach County, Florida, Coleen LaCosta then started to share. My friends at Keller Williams Palm Beaches put together a fundraiser at the KW offices. Donations started coming in to help this family stay together. We asked our friend David Chirico from Networking to Help Children to share with his supporters. We had several people make donations, dropping off clothes, (special thanks to Maryanne Hedrick), and then Realtor Maria Colandrea called and said she was doing a fundraiser in her neighborhood. She collected gift cards, clothes, and shoes that the girls loved! Then Maria found out the girls needed proper beds and she went to work getting her friends and neighbors to donate the bunk beds you see here, plus the mattresses, plus the bedding, and curtains, and more supplies. And she's still going - texting my phone with more as I write. In addition to helping this family, one of her donors had bunk beds to give which were too big for Jazzie's place so I reached out to some of our Foster Parent Licensing agencies to see who needed bunk beds to be able to license a prospective foster family. Within 60 seconds of sending that email, both sets were gone. [We do still need a truck to move them pretty please] So this is community working together for a brighter future and bringing smiles to children's faces! Thank you 🥰 In response to the many inquiries of which agencies license foster homes in Martin, Okeechobee, or St. Lucie Counties, please find the following info. Note that this site is designed to facilitate Palm Beach County foster home recruitment but we want to help all kids so if you have issues finding an agency, call. We'll do the leg work for you. Lead Community Based Care Agency (DCF designated agency who oversees licensing subcontractors https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/community-based-care/lead-agency-websites.shtml):
Communities Connected for Kids 1860 SW Fountainview Blvd, Suite 200 Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 772-873-7800 www.cckids.net 4KIDS of the Treasure Coast (Faith-Based) 50 NE Dixie Hwy, Unit A4 Stuart, FL 34994 772-206-0746 / 772-419-8831 info@4KIDSTreasureCoast.org www.4kids.us/TreasureCoast/foster Camelot Community Care, Inc. Tricia Curl Foster Care Recruitment & Licensing Supervisor 1801 SE Hillmoor Drive, C-106 Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 772-226-6235, ext. 38104 TCurl@camelotcommunitycare.orgTCurl@camelotcommunitycare.org www.camelotcommunitycare.org Camelot Community Care Treasure Coast Orientation Schedule: Third Thursday of each month at either 10:00 am or 6:00 pm Mount Bethel Human Services Corp, Inc. Treasure Coast Office 613 Camden Ave. Stuart, FL 34994 772-252-4757 www.mbhsc.org Place of Hope St. Lucie & Stuart Locations 561-775-7195 https://www.placeofhope.com/foster/ homesofhope@placeofhope.com Place of Hope Treasure Coast Orientation Schedule & Locations: Treasure Coast – Port St. Lucie EVERY 3RD THURSDAY 10250 SW Village Pkwy Port Saint Lucie, FL 34987 Treasure Coast – Stuart EVERY 1ST MONDAY Christ Fellowship Stuart Campus 10205 SW Pratt Whitney Rd. Stuart, FL 34997 Please RSVP on their website: https://www.placeofhope.com/foster/ ADOPTIONS in Martin, Saint Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties are through Children's Home Society. Here's a link to the CBC's info: http://www.cckids.net/adoptions/ In response to the many inquiries of which agencies license foster homes in Broward County, please find the following info. Note that this site is designed to facilitate Palm Beach County foster home recruitment but we want to help all kids so if you have issues finding an agency, call. We'll do the leg work for you. Lead Community Based Care Agency (DCF designated agency who oversees licensing subcontractors):
ChildNet 1100 West McNab Road Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 954-414-6001 www.childnet.us 4KIDS of South Florida, Inc. (Faith-Based) 352 N.W. 4th Street Boca Raton, FL 33432 954-590-1545 Marshayla Parahams MarshaylaP@4kidsofsfl.org https://www.4kids.us/programs/foster-care/steps Click here for class schedule Camelot Community Care, Inc. Elizabeth Etienne Director of Foster Home Management Camelot Community Care Inc 1925 South Perimeter Road, Suite 120, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33309 Office: 954-958-0988 eetienne@camelotcommunitycare.org www.camelotcommunitycare.org Camelot Community Care FLL Orientation Schedule 2019: 1st Tuesday of every month at 10am or 6pm - (2019 schedule: January 8th, February 5th, March 5th, April 2nd, May 7th, June 4th, July 2nd, August 6th, September 3rd, October 1st, November 5th, December 3rd). 2020 schedule coming soon. KID Inc. (formerly Kids In Distress) 819 NE 26th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305 fostercare@KIDInc.org KrystalSandersCaty@kidinc.org www.kidinc.org 954-390-7654-1287 KID Inc. Broward County Orientation Schedule: 7pm - January 10th, March 21st, May 30th, August 8th, October 17th. Click here for link to class schedule. Mount Bethel Human Services Corp, Inc. Fort Lauderdale Office 1100 W. Sunrise Blvd. FortLauderdale, FL 33311 954-763-5010 Tanaka Roxbury www.mbhsc.org National Youth Advocate Program 700 W Hillsboro Blvd Building 2, Suite 205 Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 954-596-5284 www.nyap.org/florida Pinnacle Family Services 351 West 136 Avenue, Suite 2017 Davie, Florida 33325 954-369-1290 www.pinnaclefamilyservices.com/florida-services Felix Santiago, Broward (& Miami) Program 844-204-1242 Felix.santiago@pinnaclefamilyservices.org Cayuga Centers 561-398-5826 800-421-2031 Ext. 2006 Marta Gifford 561-398-5330 Marta.Gifford@cayugacenters.org Lisa Cohen 561-398-5826 Lisa.Cohen@cayugacenters.org Danielle Kaye Cell 561-246-7320 Danielle.Kay@cayugacenters.org www.cayugacenters.org "The toughest part about being a foster parent is the uncertainty. We never knew how long a child would be in our home and we never knew for certain where a child would go next." "The best part about foster parenting was seeing a child get to be a kid. When they laughed really hard at something silly or when they went to summer camp, they got to experience a few of moments of a childhood joy, even though they'd been robbed of a normal childhood."  Our goal is to make the process to foster children or learn about being a forever family as easy to navigate as possible. The oversight for Palm Beach County's foster children and licensing is through the Florida Department of Children and Families' (DCF) designated Community Based Care (CBC) Provider: ChildNet which handles both Palm Beach and Broward Counties.
In Palm Beach County, the foster home management and licensing training is subcontracted by ChildNet through eight difference service providers. The goal for Speak Up For Kids' Foster Palm Beach Program is to connect you with a licensing provider as conveniently and quickly as possible. Steps to becoming a foster parent or learn about adoption: Step 1: Attend an orientation. Visit our upcoming events page to schedule the next information session or orientation. Events are held through Palm Beach County several times a month. Step 2: Sign up for the next training class and complete the 21-30 hours of foster parent training. Step 3: Complete the child abuse and criminal background check process. Step 4: Participate in a home inspection. Step 5: Complete a homestudy through your licensing provider who will help ensure your home is ready to provide a safe and caring environment for children. Step 6: Wait patiently. Once all of the above are completed, the licensing provider will complete their portion of the paperwork, then submit for several levels of review. The process typically takes 3-6 months and the more diligent you are about completing the paperwork and readying your home, the more smooth the process and more quickly you will be able to help a child in need. Every aspect of the process is centered around providing a safe place for children to heal, grow, and thrive. Click for info on the following:
 National Reunification Month is celebrated each June, it is a time to celebrate the people and efforts that make it possible for families to stay together. Reunification is the most common and desirable outcome for children and youth in out-of-home care. Reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and resources by parents, family members, social workers, attorneys, courts, and the community. Every year hundreds of thousands of children are successfully reunified with their families.
This month let us acknowledge the important accomplishments of parents and the many professionals who work on getting children home safe after they have been in out-of-home care. Learn more: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/reunification/ |
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561-223-9646 |
Diana@SpeakUpForKidsPBC.org |
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Foster Palm Beach's Centralized Foster Home Recruiter is a program of Speak Up For Kids of Palm Beach County created through a Children's Service Council Great Ideas Initiative grant to address the critical need for foster parents in Palm Beach County.
Speak Up For Kids is committed to providing every vulnerable child in Palm Beach County with a voice to advocate for their physical, educational and emotional best interests. Any financial support should be made directly through: www.SpeakUpForKidsPBC.org |
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