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families shouldn’t foster

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2013 FaithBridgeCommunity of CareSM Survey

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published byFamilies Shouldn’t Foster Alone: 2013 FaithBridge Community of CareSM Survey

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INTRODUCTION

FaithBridge Foster Care partners with local churches to create church-led foster care ministries that address the foster care problem in local communities. FaithBridge’s research-based, integrated foster care delivery model is called the FaithBridge Community of CareSM. It has two primary distinctions: trained volunteers who provide unparalleled support to foster families as well as a FaithBridge family consultant who provides child welfare expertise and spiritual support to families.

Volunteers surround foster families and provide a variety of support including babysitting, transportation, weekend respite relief as well as goods and material services. FaithBridge employs a full-time associate for volunteer and community development.

Providing accessible, 24/7 professional support for foster families, FaithBridge family consultants offer relational stability to families and children, reducing the number of moves for children in care and advocating for the child’s best interest at panel reviews, family team meetings and educators and healthcare providers.

The FaithBridge Community of CareSM


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FAMILIES SHOULDN’T FOSTER ALONE

FaithBridge began with a simple premise:

fostering children from hard places is incredibly difficult …and to make it easier, families shouldn’t foster alone.

That’s why we developed the FaithBridge Community of CareSM.Our promise is that families will not foster alone. In an effort to be accountable to that promise, FaithBridge asked both current and former foster families to complete a brief, online survey to help us better understand their experiences, needs and perceptions about the volunteer support they receive.

The survey was designed to objectively assess the impact that the FaithBridge Community of Care makes in terms of attracting, engaging and retaining families in foster care ministry.

Topics surveyed and included in this report:

• Overall effectiveness of the Community of Care• Most important volunteer need• The role of family consultants • Source(s) of volunteer support

…and more!

The methodology of this survey can be found in the Appendix.


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FAMILIES SHOULDN’T FOSTER ALONE FaithBridge has reminded us that doing life is not something that you do alone. They have reminded us to reach out for others’ support, not just for the good of us, but for the encouragement of those that we reach out to.

In making the decision to foster, current foster families said:

The Community of Care reminded us that we would not be alone. And if the ‘unknown’ were to happen, we could call on those around us.

Knowing we were not going to do this alone was a great comfort and made us less hesitant about fostering.

We are blessed and humbled at all the help we’ve received since starting foster care. [Volunteers are] true servants of God at work.


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Demonstrating significant progress to making sure that families shouldn’t foster alone, 87 percent of all FaithBridge foster families, both current and former, indicated that they have/had access to a Community of Care.Current foster families rated their level of support as somewhat to very effective.

9 OUT OF 10 FAITHBRIDGE FOSTER FAMILIES HAVE

ACCESS TO A COMMUNITY OF CARE

Current Foster FamiliesLevel of Support Received

E�ectiveness of Support*based on a 4.0 scale

3.47*

0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0


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In their comments, foster families consistently echoed that they would not have fostered without the Community of Care.

We would not, and could not, have become foster parents without knowing we had some practical support on this journey. We don’t have family here and our friends do not feel called to help with foster care. We knew we could not do it alone and when we learned about FaithBridge, we decided that this was a way we could become foster parents now.

We didn’t choose to foster because of it, but when making the decision between state family and children’s services or FaithBridge, the Community of Care was influential in our decision to go with FaithBridge.

9 OUT OF 10 FAITHBRIDGE FOSTER FAMILIESHAVE ACCESS TO A COMMUNITY OF CARE

We would advise prospective foster parents to not even consider engaging in foster care if they do not have a Community of Care or a strong volunteer support network.


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CURRENT FOSTER FAMILIES RECEIVED

VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

We believed that foster families would need consistent volunteer support to create stability and to sustain their missions-centric outreach to foster children. When we developed the FaithBridge Community of CareSM, consistent volunteer support was central to the design of our integrated system of care.

Today, three out of four of foster families report that they have received volunteer support from their Community of Care in the last 30 – 60 days.

The Community of Care has been such an amazing part of fostering for us. We have had to use very few government-provided resources because they have stepped up in such a large way…voluntarily. It has been amazing to see them come alongside us to love on our child…and us!


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CURRENT FOSTER FAMILIESRECEIVED VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

Over the last 60 days, the most frequent support received was:

Of the 25% of families that did not receive volunteer support in the last 30-60 days, the following reasons were given:

38%

18%9%

38%

Didn't haveplacement at the timeof the survey

Indicated it was available, but didn’t want or need help

Had uniquecircumstances

Volunteer support wasnot available

Babysitting

59%

Respite

46%

Transportation

14%

Meals &Supplies

38%

Other

16%


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EVERYONE NEEDS A BREAK

Respite care and babysitting both hit on the same core need:Time to connect as a couple/family and recharge.From bunk beds and car seats, to tutoring and transportation, there are numerous opportunities to serve foster families. However, over time, four main volunteer roles have consistently been raised as being needed most often.

When asked to identify their greatest volunteer need, families indicated the following:

Greatest Volunteer Needs

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

6%

Meals & Supplies

6%

Transportation

50%

Respite Babysitting

38%


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EVERYONE NEEDS A BREAK

Thoughts on respite care:

Respite care provides a couple with time to be alone. I think it works best when one family provides respite care so they get to know your child and their needs, and you know how your child is going to react when they go and return home. It provides another level of consistency for the child.

Respite was offered several times with a previous placement but we didn’t take it because our foster child had medical issues. With that, I realized I wore myself out instead of taking the offered help. I will take it in the future.

Thoughts on babysitting:

Babysitting allows us to keep our marriage strong so we can provide the environment for our children to grow and thrive.

It is very essential to have babysitting support for foster children when we have kids of our own that need our time and attention for things—or even want to take a break from all the kids.

We are committed to providing consistent care for the kids in our home. This can only be accomplished if we have rest when we need it and if the respite family has a similar parenting style and values—or at least understands and respects ours.


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More important as time goes on.The Community of Care and volunteer support network grew in its importance over time.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT REALLY?

Importance When Family Decided to

Gro

wth

in Im

po

rtan

ce S

cale

*based on a 4.0 scale

Beginfostering

Continuefostering (+0.6)

0

1.0

2.0

4.0

3.03.2*3.8*


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HOW IMPORTANT IS IT REALLY?

The Community of Care began as somewhat influential and has become very influential as we realized how important these volunteers are to us. I love the heart of the families that not only want to support us, but have the desire to meet needs for the kids in our care. They are not only support for us, but sweet friendships and special relationships.

We didn’t realize how crucial volunteers would be.

I am not certain we would have entered into this wonderful world of ministry without the protection FaithBridge provides.

Prior to the decision to foster, we didn’t realize how impactful the Community of Care would be. I thought it was just marketing language with no real ‘teeth’. That turned out to be incorrect. The Community of Care has been VERY helpful and we are so glad we made the decision to foster through FaithBridge.


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In addition to our direct questions, several supporting themes emerged in foster families’ comments throughout the survey.Even capable, competent foster families need volunteer support—but find it hard to ask for it.

It’s often hard to ask for help, but when I did people were so helpful.

I didn’t realize how demanding fostering would be. I figured because I’d never needed breaks from my own family that I wouldn’t need breaks from fostering. I was wrong!

Foster families’ volunteer needs are child-specific and change from placement to placement.

Transportation is important because [my wife] and I both work, and transportation for visitation and therapy has kept us from missing work.

Work schedules have been busy so babysitters are a godsend.

Foster families’ volunteer needs evolve over the lifecycle of a placement.

It is very important to have a Community of Care that meets your current needs. Meals are nice in the beginning and when you are sick, but they do not need to be ongoing. Supplies in the beginning are good. Later on, respite and activities where your child can be with other children are more important.

In the beginning, I would have said meals were most important. Now, respite or babysitting.

ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS ON VOLUNTEER NEEDS


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The Community of Care is still a work in progress and not all families have had the support they’ve needed when they’ve needed it.The desire for frequent, predictable and approved volunteer support reinforces the need for the FaithBridge Community of CareSM.

We cannot take in other children if we don’t have approved sitters for them. We only took two date nights over the last year with our foster placement because we didn’t have approved sitters for the kids.

When I first made the decision to foster, I expected that there would be a Community of Care to support me. I fostered for several years before I had respite care, or even approved volunteers.

I don’t think [volunteers] have an understanding of the workload involved or the support needed.

…STILL, IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Community of Care model that I heard about during orientation sounded amazing. I hope that one day my church will decide to get on board with fostering.


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Volunteers in respondents’ support network, or Community of Care, came from a variety of sources.Most often, volunteers came from:

WHERE DO VOLUNTEERS COME FROM?

One foster family pointed out the challenge when being part of a community-based Community of Care—but also the benefit of an extended network of volunteers through the larger FaithBridge community.

There is no Community of Care connected to my church. Sometimes another community will contact me and help meet needs that I have.

57%

FaithBridgeFoster Care

100%

75%

50%

25%

Foster Family’sChurch

55%78%

PersonalRelationships

0%


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THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY CONSULTANT

3 out of 4 foster families indicated that having a family consultant was important.At FaithBridge, our family consultant provides both professional child welfare and spiritual support that was important to families in making their decision to foster.

It has been a “deal breaker”! We depend on our family consultant—especially in the first few months. She has gone over and beyond to help us. Honestly, we could not have made it without her experience and support—including spiritual support.

It is vital to have someone who knows your child and the system and can provide you with support, encouragement and services.

When we were making the decision to foster we didn’t know how impactful this support would be. Now we realize it is a dramatic level of support that is invaluable.

We did not understand the full importance in it at first. We do now though. We wouldn’t and couldn’t do it without our consultant!


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At the onset of the survey, we hypothesized that there would be differences based on Community of Care type (church-based vs. community-based), tenure as a foster family, current placement status and so forth. However, in the end, there were no statistically significant differences.

ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS

Foster FamiliesLength of Tenure

1-2 Years2+ Years

Less Than 1 Year

Experience Levelof Foster Families

Foster FamiliesWho Responded

77%23%

Church-BasedCommunity-Based

Intermediate (2-3 placements)Novice (0-1 placement)

Expert (4+ placements)

37%

33%

30%37%

47%

16%


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CONCLUSION

Now, more than ever, we believe that families shouldn’t foster alone and we will continue to work tirelessly to make the process of fostering easier.However, we know that we will never be able to fully perfect an imperfect ministry with broken lives and broken people. So we close with this comment from one of our current foster families:

The scripture Galatians 6:9 “not to be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap…” comes to mind. There will never be enough incentives, rewards or help in the earthly realm to serve as a foster family. Only by focusing on our eternal God can we find the strength, the insight, the empowerment to carry out this mission and calling.


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APPENDIX. METHODOLOGY

Conducted between May 17, 2013 and May 29, 2013, the confidential online survey was built in Constant Contact and analyzed in IBM SPSS software with assistance from the market research team at Jackson Healthcare.Invitations for the surveys were emailed to current foster families as well as former foster families whose homes were closed for a variety of reasons including adoption. Current foster families received phone call reminders to increase response rates.

Comments throughout this document were pulled from foster family remarks in response to our questions.

Response Rate of Foster Families

Current FosterFamilies

Former Foster& Adoptive Families

89%

20%

0

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


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ABOUT FAITHBRIDGE FOSTER CARE

FaithBridge Foster Care is a Christ-centered, tax-exempt 501c3 organization intent on changing the way America does foster care. FaithBridge mobilizes, organizes and equips churches and communities to solve their foster care crisis.

FaithBridge works with the church to manage all aspects of the ministry including training, certification and ongoing operational support. In addition, FaithBridge acts as an intermediary with government agencies, aiming to reduce the administrative burden on our foster families. But most importantly, we create within the church a small group network, known as the FaithBridge Community of CareSM, which provides unparalleled resources and support to foster families and children.

For more information about FaithBridge Foster Care or the FaithBridge Community of CareSM, visit us online or contact us at 678.690.7100.

Families Shouldn’t Foster Alone2013 FaithBridge Community of CareSM Survey

Families Shouldn’t Foster Alone: 2013 FaithBridge Community of CareSM Survey published by FaithBridge Foster Care is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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