About Us
For Every Child . . . A Place to Call Home
The Coalition is a child welfare nonprofit that has been serving youth and families in the St. Louis region for 35 years.
There are systemic gaps and barriers in permanency and stability for children and youth impacted by the child welfare system. The Coalition strives to eliminate these gaps and barriers through innovative programming that facilitates healthy, culturally competent, safe, and nurturing homes and communities for children and youth.
We do this by providing and prioritizing the following:
Information Dissemination
We utilize a multitude of channels to keep families and professionals informed on key issues in child welfare—including ways to protect and support the most vulnerable children.
Child-Specific Recruitment
We use the latest technology and investigative techniques to quickly identify permanent placement options for children who have recently entered foster care, all while maintaining family connections and stability.
Traditional Recruitment
We work to increase the number of culturally competent families in the St. Louis region by recruiting, preparing, and supporting foster, adoptive, and guardianship parents.
Specialized Recruitment
We recruit and develop highly-skilled foster/adoptive/guardianship families to meet the unique needs of children with complex trauma.
Advocacy, Navigation, and Support
We advocate for and facilitate foster families’ navigation of specialized services, including mental, behavioral, and medical health, as well as educational supports, such as securing appropriate school placement, individualized education, ensuring special education services are in place, upholding the educational rights of children, etc.
In-Home Therapeutic Services
We empower families to help children heal by providing in-home therapeutic services to increase caregiver knowledge of trauma- and attachment-informed parenting practices and support family cohesion.
Peer Support Groups
We facilitate in-person and online support groups to empower foster/adoptive/guardianship parents to receive and provide support to one another.
Respite Care
We facilitate respite events, connect families with respite providers, and train prospective respite providers.
Training
We provide cutting-edge and evidence-informed training for current and prospective foster/adoptive/guardianship parents, child welfare and mental health professionals, and educators, among others.
Financial or Material Supports
We provide supports to families navigating financial- and/or material-related challenges to promote placement stability and provide children in foster care with an opportunity for normalcy.
Social and Community Activities
We plan and facilitate social and community-building events for our families: sporting events, attractions, performances, etc.
Our Mission
The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition strives to create permanency in the lives of children impacted by foster care by recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families in the metropolitan St. Louis region.
Our Work
We offer a comprehensive range of 27 recruitment and support programs in the St. Louis region to find and prepare safe and nurturing homes for children and families affected by foster care. Our primary objective is to facilitate reunification whenever it is safe and feasible for the child. However, during their time in care, we are committed to creating the safest and most enriching experience possible.
Our first priority is to place children with relatives whenever possible, and we dedicate ourselves to assisting these relatives and new foster parents in obtaining the necessary licenses to provide a nurturing home environment for the children. We provide a wealth of resources and training to ensure that each home is well-equipped with knowledge of trauma-informed care and cultural competency, enabling them to meet the unique needs of every child.
Our ultimate goal is to empower every child in foster care to thrive and reach their full potential. We are deeply committed to their well-being and work tirelessly to create a supportive environment that fosters their growth and success.
Our Impact
The Coalition is dedicated to blazing new trails in the foster and adoptive landscape, and we’re proud to say that our innovative programs have yielded nationally replicable results for families. In fact, our professional training courses have resulted in a remarkable 98% improvement rate in the subject matter covered. Families who attend our support groups also report feeling increased support in their overall well-being, with an impressive 95% reporting positive results. Programs like 30 Days to Family® and Extreme Recruitment® have also proven successful in finding permanency for children entering the foster care system with relatives or culturally competent foster and adoptive parents.
Thanks to our Family Works program, almost 95% of children remain in their homes or move to a more stable living environment. And with our Comprehensive Systems Navigation Program, we’ve ensured that every child has a safe and stable home, achieving a 100% success rate. We’re also happy to report that every child featured in our Little Wishes program received a special gift in 2022. For more detailed information about our outcomes, we invite you to view our 2022 Program Outcomes Variance Report.
View outcomes here: 2022 Program Outcomes
Our Team
Our team is composed of highly educated and diverse subject matter experts who are deeply committed to making a positive impact on the lives of our children and families. And we are governed by a Board of passionate professionals who wholeheartedly embody the very essence of our mission, steadfastly steering the course toward positive and impactful change.
With a team comprising diverse expertise, the Coalition is uniquely positioned to create innovative child welfare programs that address the specific needs of those we serve. Our approach is rooted in evidence-informed research and hands-on experience, allowing us to tailor our strategies and interventions effectively. As a result, we have earned a reputation for developing some of the country’s most groundbreaking and effective child welfare initiatives.
Our Commitment to DEI
The Coalition advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion in child welfare by implementing research-driven programs that help close systemic gaps and barriers in permanency and stability for youth and children impacted by foster care. We integrate cultural competency into every decision-making moment for our children and families. We recognize the power we hold as a resource-bearing organization that directly services marginalized communities. We do not underestimate our role in eradicating implicit and explicit bias in our community and organization! We refuse to contribute to the legacy of systematic oppression within our nation, state, city, and community.