Grantee Projects Bellefaire JCB
Project Voices Impacting Permanency/Teens2Homes (May 2008)
Project VIP/T2H fuses multiple approaches into a cohesive model to provide permanent homes for waiting children with special needs, especially children age twelve, older youth, and sibling groups. Project VIP/T2H’s creative model emphasizes openness in adoption and incorporates elements of informal and formal social support systems, person-centered planning including child specific recruitment, positive youth development and mentoring as part of the plan to support the safety, permanency, and well being of youth and families.
The primary goal is to increase and improve permanency outcomes for youth over age 12 and/or sibling groups in the public child welfare system, especially those youth who wish to maintain contact with family members. This goal is being achieved through peer groups, chorus, summer camp, circles of support, mentors, and training for birthparents, foster, adoptive and kinship families, as well as child welfare professionals.
Objective 1: Introduce the concept of open adoption to youth through their participation in Peer Groups and Camp. Involving foster care and adopted youth in Youth Leadership Council discussing openness and advocacy for permanency with peers, as well as prospective permanency parents and the community-at-large.
Objective 2: Sustain Mentoring Matches to connect youth to caring adults who will act as friends and mentors, as well as advocates for permanency. The VIP/T2H Community Chorus connects youth to adults through performances to promote a range of permanency options, and showcases teens in a normal setting.
Objective 3: Increase competent adoption practice and prepare professionals from Bellefaire JCB, the legal system, other private child placement agencies, and departments of children and family services to support youth and sibling groups in considering permanency options by educating them about open adoption and to increase sensitivity to issues related to openness in adoption and permanency for youth and siblings.
Objective 4: Increase collaboration with five public partner agencies (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lorain, Summit, and Tuscarawas) by providing technical assistance, training, and support in locating permanent homes for teens.
| To date the project has achieved the following: | |
| 15 | Finalized adoptions |
| 3 | Pending Finalizations |
| 199 | Child welfare professionals trained |
| 50 | Teens attended summer camp |
| 42 | Teens participated in chorus |
| 12 | Teens participated in peer groups |
| 9 | Teens participated in leadership council |
| 9 | Mentors recruited and matched with Teens |
For more information, please contact:
Diahanna Roberson
Adoption Center at Bellefaire JCB
22001 Fairmount Boulevard
Shaker Heights, OH 44118
Phone: 216.320.8935