|
Welcome to the Second Edition of Community Connections
|
|
Welcome to the second edition of the Child Welfare Division Community Connections newsletter. Many of you provided input, feedback and helped us build the Child Welfare Division Vision for Transformation which was released last year and reflects our commitment to our mission, our core beliefs and our values. This Vision will transform our system, including how we work with our community partners. This edition has stories of some of the upstream and innovative ways a statewide movement for family preservation is coming together. Communities benefit when children and families thrive and supporting kinship caregivers plays a critical foundation in this. We are grateful for the Governor's recent proclamation honoring September as Kinship Care Month. Our partner, Oregon Kinship Navigator, works with non-Child Welfare involved families caring for children as a way to build supports and resources to keep families connected. There’s so much we all can do to show our appreciation and support of kinship caregivers. Let’s show some extra love to our kinship families this month.
Thank you for your work and your care to build a connected and thriving future for Oregon's families.
Warmly,
Rebecca Jones Gaston, Child Welfare Director
|
|
|
Across the state, the Child Welfare Division is putting the Vision for Transformation into Action. In the video below, community leaders from Jackson and Josephine Counties talk with Child Welfare Deputy Director Aprille Flint-Gerner and Jackson/Josephine ODHS Manager Kim Whitney about the work they are seeing in their communities and how partnerships are playing an important role in transforming Child Welfare.
|
|
|
Each month, a public report detailing specific measures of progress of the prior month is sent to Governor Kate Brown and posted online. For the month of August, some key data includes:
- The downward trend of children coming into care continues (5,676 in care on Aug 1).
-
KEEP (an evidence-based support and skill enhancement program for resource and kinship parents) had 32 groups statewide in August.
- In support of HB 5026, legislation passed in 2019, a 5-year workforce sustainability plan for children’s residential services has been implemented. Workforce sustainability grants are now in place for each of Child Welfare’s Treatment Services contracted providers. These grants include assistance for college credits, training and other supports.
|
|
Bridge Meadows’ North Portland flagship community was opened in 2011, followed by Beaverton in 2017. A third site will open in Redmond, Oregon this October, featuring views of the Cascade mountain range, a central courtyard and a community room.
Executive Director Derenda Schubert says, “We are grateful to have ODHS as our foundational partner. Everything we do at Bridge Meadows is meant to strengthen families by surrounding them with a caring, understanding community of elders, as well as staff that support community members in building resilience.“
Brian, a resident at Bridge Meadows Beaverton explained the significance to his family, saying, “When our licensing worker told us that a place like Bridge Meadows even existed, it really was like a dream come true. Not only did moving here alleviate some of our financial burden, it gave us a steady place that we felt comfortable living in, and also gave us continued support for the kids.”’
In preparation for opening the new Redmond site, Bridge Meadows is grateful for the new relationships with Central Oregon DHS to help build a new community to serve resource families, legal guardians, and adoptive families.
To learn more about Bridge Meadows, visit www.bridgemeadows.org
Also see the recent New York Times article, 'Grandfamily' Housing Caters to Older Americans Raising Children, highlighting the work of Bridge Meadows.
*Thanks to Bridge Meadows for submitting this Community Voice spot! If you would like to submit a piece for community voice, please email ChildWelfare.Director@dhsoha.state.or.us
|
|
|
 ODHS Child Welfare partners with FosterClub in a variety of programs, including the Discover Foster Parenting Collaborative.
Relatives can make the foster care experience easier for children. In fact, relative placements are considered best practice for children when foster care is necessary. These kinship caregivers offer familiarity and continued connections to family, school and activities that can make the foster care experience much easier for children.
|
|
Volunteer to be a driver to increase family time for young people in care in Marion County: In Marion County, the CP3 Project, a joint private-public partnership between a variety of community organizations has focused on evidence-based ways to increase timely reunification. One way to do this is increase family time with children currently in care. Please email Pat Freeman and find out more at the CP3 website.
|
Attend a virtual Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention, Oct. 6, 9-10:30 am, a 1.5 hour training open to all resource families, adoptive families and community members, provided by Lines for Life in partnership with ODHS.
Register for Shoulder to Shoulder, a multi-disciplinary virtual conference providing professional training and building stronger partnerships on behalf of children in the child welfare system, Oct. 25-26.
In honor of National Adoption Month (November), watch the movie Closure, with special remarks by Child Welfare Director Rebecca Jones Gaston, Nov. 3, 1-3 p.m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
