strengthen

advocate

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Annual Report 2013-2014

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents is to strengthen foster, adoptive and kinship care families through support, training and advocacy with the aim of nurturing child safety, well being and stability in partnership with child welfare professionals and the entire commu-nity.

OUR VISION

CAFAP’s vision is that the citizens of Connecticut recognize that family life is a necessity for all children. The family creates the optimum environment for appropriate responses to a child’s developmental and specialized needs. We also envision that foster, adoptive and kinship care families are of an adequate number, skill and cultural diversity to assure high quality care for all children who need out-of-home placement. This knowledge, skill and attitude will be transmitted through peer to peer empowerment. Lastly, CAFAP strives to help develop communities that are engaged in meeting the unique needs of foster and adoptive children and in supporting their resource families.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT

2013-2014 marks the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents nineteenth year of service to Connecticut’s foster, adoptive and relative caregiver families. As a foster and adoptive parent myself, I know firsthand how important our organization is to the parents we serve. Fulfilling the organization’s mission of training, supporting and advocating for foster, adoptive and relative caregiver families, leads us in both our daily work and our evolving goals as we aspire to continually improve our impact. Our organization and by extension, our families, relies on the charitable support of our community partners, donors and volunteers to meet our goals. The board would like to thank you for your generosity, time and powerful belief in the work that we do. The staff at CAFAP works tirelessly while exhibiting a keen understanding of the challenges our families face throughout the year. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I offer our sincere gratitude for the dedication of our staff for they are what make the organization great. We know that each new year brings change in the foster and adoptive care community’s needs, policies and landscape. CAFAP welcomes this change and is energized to adapt while continu-ing its long history of providing outstanding service to Connecticut’s families. Sincerely,

Amy Kennedy President

A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

What another fantastic year CAFAP had! (It was our 19th birthday!!) Now is our opportunity to brag

a little and to thank our supporters. We began Fiscal Year 2013-2014 in July and closed the year June

30, 2014. During this year, CAFAP was asked by Department of Children and Families (DCF) to part-

ner with the department on several important initiatives including the first scientifically sound research

survey on the satisfaction or lack thereof of foster, pre-adoptive and kinship care families. (Results

will be shared when finalized.) We also began work on upgrading our website, which we hope to

launch later this fall. (After 19 years, it sure did need some attention!) We took 1,947 inquiries from

people interested in becoming foster and adoptive parents through our Kid Hero line (1-888-KID HE-

RO). We issued 1,124 certificates of completion for Post-Licensing training that we provide at no cost

to foster, adoptive and relatives, including 112 participants trained in the Spanish language. Our 14

CAFAP Liaisons made 597 home visits to families throughout the year. We distributed 1,000 State

Park passes to foster and kinship care families and informed the state officials that if they gave us

more, we’d distribute more! We also, as many of you know, kept our families and supporters up to

date with all the latest happenings through newsletters, emails and e-blasts, including legislative alerts

(45,130 electronic legislative alerts alone.) We also had TONS OF FUN throughout the year at the

Brownstone Water Park, UCONN Football, Six Flags, Rock Cats, Polar Express Train, and Avenue of

Dreams Prom Dress Giveaway & Makeover, to name a few. We then capped the year with our 19th

Annual Conference in New Haven with our new friend and dynamic speaker, Professor Richard Price

(who was adopted through foster care as a young boy.)

Thank you to all CAFAP’s friends and supporters!! Please save the date for our 20th Anniversary Con-

ference and Celebration on May 1-2, 2015!!!

Sincerely,

Margaret Doherty

Executive Director

CAFAP

Board of Directors

Amy Kennedy President

Garrett Gizowski Vice President

Barbara Ruhe

Treasurer

Geralyn Kogut Secretary

Glynis Cassis

Director

Cathy Gentile-Doyle Director

Kevin McMahon

Director

The Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents, Inc. board of directors

would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the talented and dedicated staff.

Employees

Margaret Doherty

Executive Director

Diane Orlando Program Director - Advocacy and Support

Vanessa Williamson

Program Director - Intake, Outreach and Training

Jennifer Bellamy | Torrington Area Liaison

Sheree Breeden | Bridgeport Area Liaison

Debbie Candelora | Meriden Area Liaison

Margaret Carter | New Haven Area Liaison

Doris Cerasani | Executive Administrative Assistant

Emily Clarke | Norwich Area Liaison

Virginia Conland-Murdoch | Recruitment Customer Support Assistant

Jinnel D’Hereaux | Training Program Assistant

Schelita Fleming | Norwalk/Stamford Area Liaison

Meliza Skutulas | Hartford Area Liaison

Johnette Gonzalez | Manchester Area Liaison

Carolyn Goodridge | Outreach Social Worker

Angie Hinkle | Middletown Area Liaison

Ashley Rainville | Willimantic Area Liaison

Kareemah Muhammad | Outreach Coordinator

Sandy Paholski | New Britain Area Liaison

Dora Poma | Danbury Area Liaison

Hector Ramos | Recruitment Customer Support Assistant

Jennifer Rivera | Statewide Retention Specialist

Wendy Sander | Peer Network & Careline Coordinator

Melissa Schaffrick | Office Manager

Christine Surel | Milford Area Liaison

Jacqueline Vidal | Waterbury Area Liaison

Our Programs

Training

Post Licensing Training

CAFAP offers training and skil ls bui lding programs taught by a wide variety of experts to help foster , adoptive and relative caregivers be fully prepared to raise children being monitored by the Department of Children and Famil ies (DCF). During a Mutual Assessment Process, foster parents and their social worker wil l identify essential training areas. Each licensed foster or pre-adoptive parent must then complete six modules per year after l icensing A module is any training approved by your DCF Support Social Worker to enhance one’s abil ity to care for the needs of foster/adoptive chi ldren.

CPR Training

A current CPR Certification is required for

foster parents accepting medically fragile

children. CAFAP and the American Red Cross

offer an Adult, Child and Infant CPR training

for all foster/adoptive parents and relative

caregivers. Classes are available statewide; fees

are reimbursed by CAFAP.

Conference Series

CAFAP offers four yearly conferences, ranging

from one-day symposiums to the two-day

Annual Conference. These events draw on

skilled, experienced child welfare experts and

offer unique opportunities for networking and

learning.

Support

Area Liaisons

Liaison staff are positioned in DCF’s area offices to guide, teach and support families in their efforts to become self-advocates. CAFAP liaisons can provide insight, offer resource referrals, and coordinate community support groups.

Helpline

CAFAP’s toll-free, confidential peer support helpline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Foster, adoptive and relative care-givers may ask questions or just talk with someone who under-stands the unique challenges they face. Individuals may reach the Helpline by calling 1.888.CAFAP80.

Buddy System

Experienced foster or adoptive parents, or Buddies, provide support for newly licensed parents. Buddies are paired with their families for a minimum of six months or until families are comfortable with their level of knowledge and experience.

Advocacy and Outreach

Open Adoption Advocacy

Licensed individuals considering open adoptions of children in DCF custody can obtain an attorney through CAFAP at no cost. The attorney will help explain the open adoption process and provide an agreement when appropriate.

Recruitment & Retention

The Kid Hero recruitment lines receive a number of inquiries each day requesting information on becoming a foster, adoptive or relative caregiver. In addition, our general recruitment and retention efforts include participation in many different community events.

Public Policy

CAFAP tracks bills and advocates for legislation and issues relevant to foster, adoptive and relative care- givers. The association works with a committee of stake holders each year to develop a legislative agenda as well as training families on how they can become involved in the legislative process. Please email us at legislative@cafap.com for more information.

Communication

Our website and quarterly newsletter contain infor-mation about programs, support groups, services, training schedules, community resources and conferences. It also contains useful information on DCF and legislative initiatives. All of our publications, including our newsletter, are published in English and Spanish.

Children's Hope Fund

Our fund helps foster and adoptive children to become more involved in their local community and better integrated within their peer social structure. Foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers or children themselves can apply to purchase items like school class rings, prom suits or gowns, gymnastics lessons, sporting equipment or area camps. The item or service must be outside the DCF allowable expense payment system and the foster family or child must provide partial payment, which is individualized based on the request. Donations can be made on our website.

THE CAFAP INDEX

A SAMPLING

OF OUTCOMES

IN 2013 - 2014

168 Families were referred to

Open Adoption Attorneys.

1,192 Participants registered to attend CAFAP conferences, including

May’s Annual Conference held at the Omni Hotel in New Haven.

137,601 Recipients received our quarterly

newsletter , monthly spotlight and legislative alerts by email. All three publications provided subscribers with information related to events, research, publications , advocacy

opportunities and resources.

231 Post-licensing training classes were offered , including 1 new

module and 1,124 participants were certified.

2,312 Inquiries were received by our

KIDHERO line. 1,947 referrals were sent to the Department of Children

and Families for follow-up.

552 Buddy Assignments were given to foster, adoptive &

relative caregivers.

23,936 Calls and emails were received by

the CAFAP Area Liaisons. In addi-tion, liaisons made 597 home visits to

Caregivers.

171 Families participated in exit inter-

views during the fiscal year.

CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS, INC. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

JUNE 30, 2013

ASSETS Current Assets

Cash and equivalents $ 58,069 Prepaid Expenses 10,000

Total Current Assets 68,069 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation 17,672 Security Deposit 5,000 Total Assets $ 90,741 LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Current Liabilities Accounts payable $ 59,712 Accrued Expenses 15,003 Accrued payroll and compensated absences 49,133 Total Current Liabilities $ 123,848

NET ASSETS (Deficit) Unrestricted (46,460) Temporarily restricted 13,353 Total Net Assets (33,107) Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 90,741

Benefactors A special thank you to the benefactors who make our work possible…

Abatayo, Allan BPOE 372 Clark, Cara

Alex and Ani (+) Energy Charity by Design

Brazil, Marilyn Collura, John & Andrea

Allard, Eileen M. & McGann, Joan Brighter Within, Inc. Community Health Network of CT

AmazonSmile.com Broderick, Michael Complete Staffing Solutions

Anderson, Yvette Brooks, Pam Comprehensive Business Solutions

Antipas, Christine Brown, Braonc Connecticut Construction Industries, Inc.

ARC of Meriden/Wallingford Brown, Breana Connecticut State Grange, Inc.

Arkerley, George Bouganlt, K. Cooke, Rebecca

Bailey Sr., William & Hilda Caban-Hernandez, Janier CT Network Solutions, LLC

Bane, David & Devra CAFAP Board Cuerda, Maria

Banks, Kayla Caffrey, Robert & Karen D'Agostino, Rachel

Beck, Dana Calcagni Ritchie, Jennifer Daunis, Wesley & Kerri

Bedula, Greg Callanan Industries, Inc. Dazzle Boutique

Begen, Stephanie Campbell, Brandon Deheon, Vanessa

Bellamy, Korey & Guzman, Leida Cardona, Anastasia Devlin, Cathleen

Bennett, Francis & Pamela

Carlucci, Lenny & Rettina DiMarco, Carolenna

Biancamano, Anne & Jody Carpenter, Maureen Dimock, Margaret

Big Y Kids Fest Carriage House Daycare DNZ Enterprises

Bissionette, Rosann Cerasani, Roberto & Doris Doherty Penepent, Margaret

Blanchette, Megan Christensen, Karen Doherty, James & Lisa

Blum, Jean Cianci, Mary Ann Dollar General - Torrington & Waterbury

Bonadies, Mark & Mary Beth Cieplinski, Boleslaw & Zyta Dowling, Thomas & Joan

Bourret, Jenn Ciraulo, Sylvester & Janice Drabczyk, Edward & Mary Anne

Benefactors A special thank you for helping us make the dreams of foster, adoptive and kinship care children & teens come true. . .

Dubreuil, Andre & Lisa Gentile, Nicholas & Cathy Jean, Amanda

Dunkin Donuts Gilmore, Tiffany Jenkins, LaDwana

Dunne Up Solon Girl Scout Troop 10217 Johnson, Peter & Jeanette

Ebner, Keven Greater Hartford Community Foundation Joyce, Laraya

Eckert, Nancy Guess Inc. Julie Ann Bridal

El Paraiso Day Care Haas, Gail Katherine L. W. & Winthrop Crane Charitable Foundation

Elgo, Judge Nina Harvey, Herga Kearney, Priscilla

Errico, Amy Harvey, Mae Kelly, Madelyn

Fairly Tails Healey, Nina Kennedy, Clifford & Amy

Farmington Rotary Club Hensley, R.V. & Patricia Kerr, Gerry & Nancy

Farrell, Harold & Shelia Hicks, Liz Keith, Kirby

Felter, Deane Hobbie & Trophy World King, Mary

Filloramo, Peg Hogan, William Kirejczyk, Barbara

Foundation for Life Howard, Alice Kleinfield Bridal

Francis, Devon Hubbs, David & Arlene Klinger, Pat

Frey, Brigid Huntington Financial, Inc Kochanek, Jan

Furmanek, Bernard & Olga Hyde, Jenn Kogut, James & Geralyn

Fussell, Kate Iannaccone, Elio & Siniscalchi, Agnes Koiva, Liz

Gaiono Jr. , Savino & Susan Internet Safety Concepts Krajewski, Meagan

GAL Associates, LLC Jacobs, James & Ann Kranyak, John & Anna

Garger, Lisa Mary Jacobs, Jennifer Kraus, Dale

Gegetskas, Diane Jacquemin, Dana Lacava, Shirley & Lacava Aureli, Genevieve

Gendreau, Pam JC Penny's Salon LaChappelle, Mary

Lane, Tanya McConnell, Erin Over the Hill Gang Eastern Chapter Car Club

LaPan, Carol McGovern, Janet Pagella, Carl

Lapkin, Eric McLaughlin, James Paholski, Sandy

Laudette, Robin Meskill, Robert & Patricia Palmer, Faith

LEGO Stystems, Inc. Messina, Cassie Palzere, Donald & Jane

Leitao, Chelsea Minto, Angela Pare, Danielle

Lespier, Bonnie Morgan, Kevin & Kimberly Penepent, Donald F

Limato, Paulette Muhammad, Kareemah Penepent, Gertrude B.

Link, Barbara Murdock, George & Conland-Murdock, Virginia

Perduta, George & Becky

Little, Lorna Murphy, Amy Pfleger, Carl & Kim

Lizasuain, Felix Muzzey, Elana Pierce, Alan & Regina

Locario, Nicole Naples, Vanessa Pinnow, Margaret

Luri-Clark, Marina Napoletano, Julia Polverelli, Mary Alice

MacDonald, Brian & Mary Neumann, Albert & Cynthia Primrose, Walter Sr. & Tammy

MacDonald, Gordon & Eileen Nizen, John & Jean Promgirl

MacDonald, Peter & Wendy Northern Belle, LLC Purinton, Gayl A.

Madison, Kathy Omni Hotel Purinton, Michael & Gayl

Mannan, Talhaht Open Adoption Attorneys Quinnipiac University Student Occupational Therapy Association

Maples Self-Storage Ortiz, Krysta Rahman, Saima

Maronn, Russell & Gwen Ortiz, Noelia Rasmussen, Averi

Marozzi, Noreen Osbourne, Jahmika Raven, Lesa

Mayo, Raymond & Roseann Osorio-Vasquez, Isabel Raymore & Flanigan

McCarthy, Janet Otis, Cindy Rive All Star Storage, LLC

CAFAP thanks the Department of Children and Families for the funding it receives.

Rivera, Olga Sinopoli, Connie Topitzer, Eileen

Rose, Nona Smith, Annetta Topitzer, Paul & Colleen

Roth, Tina Smith, Denese Torres, Aimee

Ruby Tuesday Snathch Shoes, LLC Torrington Titans

Rugar, Nancy Southbury Crown Plaza Tumolo, Kenneth & Beata

Russell, David & Cheryl Sozanski, Joseph & Izabela Turner, Linda

Rutkowska, Sylvia Steadman, Della Kathryn Van Huysen, Gayle

Ryan, Stephanie Stewart, Susan Veal, Carmen

Sachen, Lisa Stopp, Jessica Vitaliano, Nita

Sacks, Ben & Tracy Straub, Laurie Waldecker, Carolyn

Samuels, Sandra Stringer, Juanita Warshavsky, Larry & Laurie

Sander, Pedro Sullivan, Lisa Watrous, Donald & Westerkamp, Robyn

Sander, Wendy Swan, Lisa Weber, Charles

Santiago, Rafael Tapke, Ruth Wennerburg, Susan

Sarkis, Michelle Tauck World of Giving White III, Henry & Patricia

Schaffrick Sr., Charles & Melissa Tavana, Susan White Way Cleaners, Inc

Schreier, Elise The Loyal Bandana Heads Wilbur, Donna

Schumann, Maggie The White Dress By The Shore Wildman, Pat

Sheehan, Joseph & Margot Thomas, Dawn Wilper, Leslie

Sherwin, Mary Thornton, Wesley & Watson, Heather WTNH

Shobe, Diane Tilcon Concrete Division Yolanda Christine Photography

Silva, Tiffany Tilcon Connecticut Inc. Zod, Hal

Simmons, Ashley Time Frozen Photography

Benefactors

100% Percent of every dollar donated goes directly to services for families. CAFAP does not take an administration fee from donations.

2012-2013 CAFAP Events

2189 Silas Deane Highway Suite 2

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

www.cafap.com