helping vulnerable children & families - leading los ... · helping vulnerable children &...

Helping Vulnerable Children & Families

NEWSCHILDNET

NEWS

ChildNet News Summer 2013 • ChildNet Youth and Family Services • www.ChildNet.net

Imagine for a moment that when you were a child, due to circumstances beyond your control, you were abruptly taken from your family and placed in an entirely different home and neighborhood. This is the situation that occurs with many foster children who are removed from their natural parents because of abuse or neglect. What makes the problem worse is there are not enough foster homes available for all of these children. However, when there is an open, caring home, miracles can happen!

Karen came to ChildNet’s Foster Family Network as an 8-week-old baby and remained with us through age 5. But that’s just the beginning of her story. She was transferred back to her natural family by court order and stayed with them through age 7 when she witnessed the shooting death of her mother by an acquain-tance. Shortly thereafter, her father was sent to prison on unrelated charges. These tragic and trau-matic events changed the course of Karen’s life.

She returned to ChildNet’s Foster Family Network when she was 7 years old and in her own words “felt lost, frightened, angry and confused.” She was eventually transferred to the same ChildNet foster home where she lived as a toddler. Joanne, her foster mother, welcomed her back with hugs and a warm blanket. Karen asked Joanne if this could be her permanent home and her foster mother’s answer is now history!

From the third grade through the end of her senior year in high school, Karen flourished. She worked on her studies and when she needed help she was not afraid to ask for it. By the time Karen entered high school, it was apparent that a true leader was emerging. In the ninth grade, she was the Pursuit of Excellence winner in her Medical and Para-medical Services group (MAPS). She was the group’s lead speaker for the next four years. Karen was a member of the

Advancement Via Individual Determination Program (AVID) for all four years of high school.

Through ChildNet’s efforts, she was selected to participate in a leadership program where she “shadowed” a member of the California Assembly for a day and learned about the workings of a fast-paced political office. She was the president of the school dance club, the Jammin’ Jackrab-

bits, and worked hard as a school cheerleader for three years. Included in all of these activities were four years of academic work resulting in a 3.50 GPA that earned Karen a scholarship to attend California State University, San Marcos. She enrolled in early classes beginning June 24th of this year and began her quest to become a pediatri-cian! When she was asked why she wanted to become a medical doctor her heartbreaking answer was “I felt so helpless when my mother was shot and I could not save her. I have also grown up with so many foster babies and have seen the medical help so many of them needed. That

is why I want to be a doctor.”Karen is just one of the miracles we witness in our Foster

Family Network. Some of our children have been so trau-matized miracles seem impossible. For these children, our Intensive Treatment Foster Care and our Behavioral Health Services provide the support and counseling they need to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and succeed in school and beyond.

Please see our website (www.childnet.net) for more information about all of our programs and services to help vulnerable children and families.

Miracles HappenMiracles Happen by Robert Reilly

As many of you know by now, I was provided the wonderful oppor-tunity to take the helm as ChildNet’s President/Chief Executive Officer in April 2011. It was truly an honor to follow in the footsteps of our esteemed past President/CEO, Robert Di Stefano. For almost 30 years, Robert’s leadership was instrumental in growing our agency from a 40-bed group home for

troubled youth to the multi-service organization it is today! ChildNet is also extremely fortunate to be governed by an outstanding volunteer board of directors comprised of prominent community members – board members who consistently demonstrate their commitment and passion for helping those in need.

For more than 42 years, ChildNet has been driven by our mission: to provide safe homes, education and counseling to vulnerable children and families. Our agency is committed to going above and beyond to make a positive, meaningful impact in the lives of those we serve.

We are thrilled to send you our new ChildNet News news-letter. Each issue will highlight one of our programs, as well as success stories from our clients.

We are happy to announce that we have also launched a new website and trust you will enjoy reading about the many life-changing services ChildNet’s Continuum of Care provides to more than 7,000 children and families each year!

In addition to the website, we have recently enhanced our Quality Assur-ance Department, improved Outcome Data & Informa-tion Technology Systems, re-estab-lished our Develop-ment Department, and moved our corporate head-quarters, Behavior

Health and Wrap-around services to new locations!

With eyes firmly set on our mission, ChildNet continues to “adjust its sails” in order to best meet the ever-increasing needs within the commu-nity. It has certainly been an exciting time of change!

Although we are often faced with extraordinary challenges, ChildNet’s professional, dedicated and caring staff members work exceptionally well together and are committed to doing whatever it takes each and every day to provide children with the support and nurturing they all deserve.

I hope this newsletter and our website will assist you in learning more about ChildNet, including ways you can support our efforts to provide quality care to children.

We welcome your feedback and hope you enjoy our brand new newsletter and website: www.childnet.net.


The Winds of Change are BlowingThe Winds of Change are Blowing

Eileen Factor, Director of Devel-opment & Communications, held various development positions with ChildNet from 1998 to 2006, when she accepted a position at another Long Beach non-profit where she stayed for a little more than six years. In November of 2012, she was offered a new position at ChildNet rebuilding the development and communications department.

“We are so pleased to have her back,” said Kathy Hughes. She’s making great strides in pulling the department together and laying the groundwork for a prosperous future for some of ChildNet’s programs that need financial support.

Welcome BackWelcome Back

by Kathy Hughes, President/CEO

Continuum of Care in ActionFor many years, ChildNet has prided itself in its Continuum of Care in program service delivery. And, it has never been

more evident than today.To reflect for a moment: In 1986, ChildNet created Foster Family Network (FFN) to address the growing demand for

quality foster homes. For 27 years, FFN has recruited and trained all types of families, including single parents, married couples, retirees and same-sex couples who are willing to provide a warm, stable, nurturing environment for vulnerable

children who, through no fault of their own, have been removed from their homes and families.

But that was just the beginning! Today, ChildNet’s Foster Family Network offers an Intensive Treatment Foster Care Program (ITFC) providing specialized mental health and behavioral services to children who have suffered multiple complex traumas, multiple psychiatric hospitalizations, and multiple failed placements in the foster care system. ITFC utilizes the team approach to work with youth, foster parents and, when possible, birth families or long-term permanent caretakers, to help youth transition out of congregate living to the least-restrictive environment possible. Individualized behavioral health services in a home-based setting allow foster children to gain the skills for necessary future success.

Continuum of Care in Action


We are pleased to announce that ChildNet was selected to participate in a pilot program sponsored by The Child Welfare Initiative entitled Extraordinary Foster Parents in Los Angeles County. A total of six county foster care agencies are part of the Initiative and formed a workgroup that researched and developed a comprehensive strategy for recruiting, retaining, training and supporting ITFC providers. ChildNet will implement the improved service models to significantly increase the number of its ITFC homes.

This project is unique as it is the first private undertaking that brings together a core group of key providers and experts in Los Angeles County’s child welfare system in order to meet the needs of foster children with serious mental health issues. Through this work, we will collectively fulfill this unmet community need.

For more information about this Initiative visit www.extraordinary-families.org.

Extraordinary Foster ParentsExtraordinary Foster Parents

Providing safe homes, education and counseling to vulnerable children and families

Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDLong Beach, CAPermit No. 2222


BOARD OF DIRECTORSChairman, Braden J. PhillipsChairman-elect, Mike DeaderickSecretary, Louis J. CassaniTreasurer, Gordon LentznerBOARD MEMBERSRobert Alperin Bob Armstrong Jim Choura Stephen E. Gordon Phil Ramsdale Tim Richmond Don Trojan Randy WilsonOFFICERSKathy Hughes, President/CEOAllan Greenberg, CFOMonica Andrea Quiñones, COO

ChildNet Youth & Family Services4155 Outer Traffic Circle

Long Beach, CA. 90804-2111Address Service Requested

Sixty disadvantaged children were selected from local organizations to participate in a shopping trip to Target for school supplies and clothing. Through the efforts of ChildNet’s Chairman of the Board Braden Phillips, 10 ChildNet Wraparound clients and 10 Foster Family Network children were among those chosen. While shopping, children were partnered with a police officer, adult volunteer or Long Beach Junior Chamber member. Participants were treated to breakfast and snacks, and after the event, they interacted with volunteers at an arts and crafts booth sponsored by Hewlett Packard. In addition, the Assistance League of Long Beach donated backpacks filled with school uniforms and underwear.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this opportunity,” one young client told Stephen Lovejoy, Intensive Home-Based Services Administrator for ChildNet’s Behavioral Health Services. “It was a joy to see how happy she was and how special she felt,” Lovejoy said “That was the first time we met, but the smile on her face remains very vivid in my memory.” The event, now in its 19th year, was co-sponsored by the Junior Chamber, Long Beach Police Foundation, Assistance League, 7th District Councilmember James Johnson, Target, Union Pacific Railroad, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Orozco’s Auto Service, A&A Towing, Hewlett Packard, Speedpro Imaging and Red Eye Media.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this special event for very special children!

Shop with a CopShop with a Cop

helping vulnerable children & families - leading los ... · helping vulnerable children &...

Documents