OHIO: Two years ago, a sibling set of three children, ages 8-13, entered the foster care system because of abuse and neglect. Their parents had moved around for most of the children’s lives, further isolating them from other family members. Eventually, the children were able to reunify with their mother. However, this reunification did not last because the mother could not comply with the county’s parental directions. The sibling set had no choice but to return to foster care.
Since their time in care, they have been placed twice in a foster home. When the county assigned this case to Amber, a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® (WWK) recruiter from Adopt America Network, Amber immediately started using Connect Our Kids to find other family members.
Within weeks, Amber found over 270 family members on both sides of the family: aunts, uncles, cousins, and half-siblings. The family members had never met these siblings. Once the Family Connections family tree was full of relatives and up-to-date contact information, Amber shared the tree with the children’s caseworker. Right now, their paternal aunt is in the process of getting to know the children for the first time in their lives. The long-term goal is adoption by a relative.
“I will continue searching for connections using the templates provided by Connect Our Kids to connect with the searches I find using People Search,” said Amber. She also stated that she will not give up until this sibling set finds their forever home.
To directly create more outcomes for siblings like these three, please donate HERE. Connect Our Kids is a nonprofit dedicated to leveraging technology to find families, build connections, and make a community for children in the foster care system.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
