In the days and weeks after Kayden, Kylee, and Shawn Sawyer* were taken into child welfare custody, the teenagers repeatedly asked if they could live with their maternal uncle, Jesse. However, based on previous legal charges, child welfare workers quickly discredited Uncle Jesse’s ability to provide support, and the siblings were placed in foster homes. Due to extenuating circumstances and agency procedures, fourteen-year-old Kylee was moved four times in three weeks, deeply compounding the trauma of being separated from her brothers and mother.

When the Sawyers’ case was transferred to the 30 Days to Family® Ohio program…

Ten-year-old Samantha (name has been changed) came to live with her dad in Ohio five years ago, after being removed from her mother’s care by a children services agency in her home state of Maine. With a complicated history of sexual abuse and the painful experience of being separated from her mom, it was important and necessary that Samantha receive trauma-informed counseling and ongoing support. Without this, her problems and pain would only continue to multiply.

Charlie (name has been changed) was born on a snowy morning in early 2018. Unfortunately, Charlie is one of a growing number of babies born with drugs in his system. Because of a number of social issues, the hospital knew Charlie would not be able to go home safely. Charlie is not the first or the second, but actually the third child born to his mother and neither of his siblings are currently in their mother’s custody. One child is in the custody of their maternal aunt and another in the custody of a cousin. Though the households are separate, the family is close and the siblings spend time together often. Kinship care has worked for this family in the past and Charlie’s 30 Days to Family ® Specialist, Sarah, was determined to make it work again.

The following Year in Review is designed to provide a summary of programmatic, organizational, and fundraising milestones achieved by Waiting Child Fund (transforming to Kinnect) in 2017.  Founded in 2005, the mission of Waiting Child Fund (transforming to Kinnect) is to develop partnerships that transform beliefs, values, and actions to …

Authors | Lauren Frey, Darla Henry, Mary LeBeau, Nicole McLaughlin, Lori Ryan, and Gail Johnson Vaughan

Approved by Family Builders Network on October 13, 2017