MISSOURI: Billy, a teenager with developmental delays, spent 15 years in Missouri’s foster care system, in desperate need of stability and a permanent family. He entered foster care due to abuse, neglect and medical neglect. His case highlighted the struggles often faced by children with special needs in the foster care system. Billy’s need for a lifetime of supervision further complicated the search for a permanent placement.
As a young child, Billy had become extremely close with Amy and Melissa, two important adults in his life. Amy was Billy’s first caseworker, and Melissa was his dedicated parent aide. Amy and Melissa both happened to be best friends. Unfortunately, neither had seen Billy since he was four years old. Despite an ongoing desire by Amy or Melissa to adopt him, privacy restrictions prevented either of them from locating Billy after they each had left the Missouri Children’s Division.
Determined to reunite Billy with his original support network, Kathleen, the Adoption Recruiter at Cornerstones of Care—an organization dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are often overlooked— turned to the Connect Our Kids’ Family Connections tool. Using Family Connections, she compiled a comprehensive genogram, resulting in a detailed overview of Billy’s familial connections and history. Moreover, the tool identified a previous placement that had been documented but not yet contacted. With the People Search feature, Kathleen successfully updated crucial contact information for the first foster parent, paving the way for a touching reunion.
Amy and Melissa now live in a beautiful house they bought together. Both Amy and Melissa had kept Billy’s memory alive with photos on their desks and frequent discussions about his whereabouts. They have eagerly stepped into the role of adoptive parents. After an exhausting period in foster care, Billy now has a lifelong support system of people familiar with his history and dedicated to his well-being. Unlike many other children in his situation, Billy was placed with people who already knew and loved him, allowing him to return to the comfort and familiarity of a special bond. Billy, who is finally thriving, can look forward to a lifetime of comfort, support, and unwavering devotion from his forever family.
Connect Our Kids is a non-profit dedicated to leveraging technology to find families, build connections, and create a community for children in the foster care system. Want to help more children like Billy? You can today by donating HERE.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.
