We know that the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be top of mind for many of you – just as it is for all of us here at Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. As a Coalition, we rely on all of you to carry out our mission. As such, we want to share our plan to continue to serve kids, support families, and keep our Coalition family safe.
Our office and Refresh are in a Work from Home mode to ensure social distancing guidelines. However, our work will not stop. Coalition staff will still open new cases, conduct virtual trainings, field advocacy calls, and respond to the needs of the families we serve.
Our voicemail will continue to be checked hourly as we anticipate the support needs of many families to increase as schools close and children spend more time in the home. Families will receive further notifications about scheduled trainings and support groups. We will provide remote options for these services, complemented by direct outreach from our team of family support experts.
We hope that you, your coworkers, your families, and your communities place your health and well-being first and foremost. You are all in our thoughts.
In the coming weeks, the parents and professionals who make up this Coalition will, in a thousand small ways, display the courage it has always taken to do this work and do it well. The presence of a pandemic will not stop them from finding families for children, nor will it diminish the numerous ways they help kids heal from trauma. It will, however, make their abundance of creativity and commitment shine brighter.
Their achievements are yours to celebrate as well. Whether you have been here since our founding during the crack cocaine epidemic, our struggle through the Great Recession, or our recent fight against the smoldering opioid crisis, you are part of a movement born in adversity but not defined by it. In the coming weeks, you’ll hear amazing stories of children who find a place to call home. We hope they mean as much to you as they mean to us.
In the next week, we will share concrete steps you can take to help children and families impacted by foster care. But know that we are only able to respond to this crisis with agility, intention, and strategy because you have invested in this work. The Coalition is only able to fulfill our necessary role in the community because of you.
Thank you for being a part of our family. Thank you for caring about our kids.
-Melanie Scheetz, Executive Director