Good Shepherd Children and Family Services

Foster care case management:meets the needs of Children and youth in foster care through the development and retention of foster homes and placement, supervision, and case management Services to Children placed in foster care. Our goal is to address the individual needs of each child while working towards permanency, i.e. Reunification with the Family, adoption, or guardianship. During the most recent contract year, 201 youth were served and 37.3% reached permanency. The program will be experiencing growth in the current year as we expand into jefferson county.

Pregnancy & parenting support:provides counseling and case management Services to expectant parents of any age and Family members experiencing a stressful pregnancy. The goals of this program are to assure healthy delivery of the child and stabilize the home environment such that the child will not be at risk of abuse or neglect. Services include direct financial support, referrals for appropriate medical care and housing, and adoption planning (as needed). Counseling addresses decision making, parenting skills, stabilizing living situations, communication skills within the Family, relationships, problem solving skills, planning and the legal rights and responsibilities of both parents. In the most recent calendar year, 231 clients were served, and 87% of babies born to our pps clients in 2022 were of a healthy birth weight.

Maternity residential:shelter/residential care Services for pregnant and parenting girls between the ages of 12 and 21 who are foster youth, homeless, or at risk of homelessness. In the most recent calendar year, Services were provided to 50 pregnant/parenting teens and 46 babies. In calendar year 2022, 77% of clients demonstrated improved parenting knowledge/skill and 100% made progress toward their education goals.

Adoption: recruits, trains and counsels applicants interested in adoption. Possibilities include: non-special needs infants, special needs infants, infants available through independent adoption, Children available for adoption by a relative or step-parent, infants and Children available through international adoption, and older Children available for adoption. In calendar year 2022, 161 individuals received Services (home study, post-adoptive Services, information regarding past adoptions, etc.) In that time, 90% of placements remained stable and 100% of Children in adoptive placement received routine medical care according to the department of health standards.

Treatment foster care:tfc provides intensive, family-based care for deeply troubled youth as an alternative to institutional care. The program served 33 youth in calendar year 2022. 100% of youth served were free from substantiated incidents of abuse or neglect. 33% of our youth transitioned to an improved living environment at discharge.