West Virginia: Daisy, a young person in foster care, spent years in the custody of the West Virginia Department of Human Services, moving between residential care, shelters, and a psychiatric hospital.
Without connections outside her multidisciplinary team, she faced deep isolation and instability. As her progress stalled and the need for a stable placement grew urgent, Aetna trainers launched the Family Seeing process using Connect Our Kids’ tools. With the Family Connections and People Search tools, they identified 33 biological relatives.
Despite a complicated family history, Daisy’s care team continued to advocate for family reconnection. Her paternal grandparents, who were contacted, were thrilled to hear about her, sharing that they had raised her when she was younger. They asked to be added to her contact list and are now undergoing a home study as a potential placement. Daisy’s aunt also asked to reconnect.
Every child deserves to know someone still cares. For Daisy, these new connections offer hope, healing, and the possibility of family.
Connect Our Kids is a nonprofit using technology to help children in foster care find family, build connections, and create community.
Support more stories like Daisy’s: https://connectourkids.org/donate/.
*Names and any personally identifiable health information have been modified for privacy. Images sourced from royalty-free stock libraries.
