Teen Needed Just One Solid Connection, and Now He Has It
KANSAS: A.J.* has been in foster care for nearly a decade. With his parents out of the picture, he was raised by his aunt until the day she dropped him off at a juvenile detention center and abandoned him. He was only nine years old. Shortly after entering care, A.J. was on a path to […]
The Importance of Second Chances
KANSAS: Baby boy Zac needed a loving and supportive home. His family finding advocate from Cornerstones of Care used the Connect Our Kids technology platform and found an aunt who wanted to take in little Zac.
After 18 Different Homes, Teen Discovers Over 50 Relatives
KANSAS/HAWAII: Iolana is a fifteen-year-old girl who entered the foster care system a year and a half ago. Tragically, she has lived in 18 different placements in this short time. For children like Iolana, abrupt and repeated disruptions in their environment and relationships can be as traumatic as the situations from which they were removed.
“Why Didn’t Anyone Find My Family Before?”
We often wonder if our People Search and Family Connections tools are making a difference for children in foster care and family finding professionals. We’re compelled to share one user’s email of how our software helped her find an aunt for a hard-to-place teenager.
Abandoned Newborn with COVID-19 Connected With Family
KANSAS: In November of 2020, Baby Kai* entered the foster care system while battling COVID-19 in the hospital. The only information given to child welfare professionals at Cornerstones of Care were the names and last known contact information for her biological parents. Kai’s mother is Native American so she would only be placed in a home that met Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) guidelines, a federal law that seeks to keep Native American children with tribal families.
Baby Tyler Finds a Forever Home
KANSAS: When baby Tyler entered foster care, a family finding team used the Connect Our Kids technology platform to search for family and community connections. They quickly identified 14 siblings and began contacting their caregivers.
Newborn Infant Now Lives with Half-Sister
KANSAS: Baby Sabrina* was just two-months-old when she entered the foster care system. The name and residential address of a paternal great aunt was the only information social services provided Cornerstones of Care, a foster care case management agency dedicated to finding loving families and support networks for children in need.
Runaway Teen Found Using Connect Our Kids Technology
KANSAS: Feeling alone at sixteen, Kevin* ran away shortly after entering the foster care system—no one knew where he went.
Siblings Avoid Separation from School & Community
KANSAS: Liliana, Lori and Jared* recently entered the foster care system. They are all very good students and it was important to them that they continue their education in the same school and remain in the same familiar town.
Four Siblings Remain Living with Family
KANSAS/MISSOURI: In the first week of 2021, four Kansas children entered the foster care system. Their mother, who is burdened with unhealed trauma, cannot care for them.