Why is foster care such an important thing? This past year has been absolutely crazy for so many families in the world and I’m sure, like me, you’ve all heard stories of families and their struggles in 2020. Something that has been pulling at my heart is families and kids that need foster care. As a mom, I know every child needs and deserves a safe, loving home. That’s why I decided to team up and spread awareness of Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY). They are incredible and they are doing good work in the world. This post is to spread awareness about children experiencing foster care and the need for foster families and support, so please share and let’s get the word out!

Jenna Coleman, Executive Director of SAFY of Colorado

This is a Q&A (with questions that I asked) about SAFY, their work throughout Colorado and how the community can support them through learning about being a foster family, volunteering or donating. Thank you to Jenna Coleman, Executive Director of SAFY of Colorado, for taking the time to answer these!

Can you tell us a bit about the mission behind SAFY? What are the ways you are supporting children and families in Colorado?

The mission of Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) of Colorado is preserving families and securing futures. Our primary services are our Treatment Foster Care and Family Preservation programs. We work hand-in-hand with the families that come to us, no matter what their circumstance. We strive to keep the family unit together, providing education, tools and resources for both the caregivers as well as the youth to ensure a successful future. Within our Treatment Foster Care program we work closely with our foster and biological parents, building a bridge between the two units to support the child in hopefully returning back home to their original caregivers.

How has COVID-19 impacted child welfare and children experiencing foster care in Colorado?

COVID 19 has impacted so many children and families this year. The child welfare system, like all industries, has had to do its best to adapt to a new way of doing things and utilizing technology to continue to support youth experiencing foster care. Throughout the pandemic, we are proud that SAFY continued to strive to see every youth face to face by using PPE and maintaining social distancing. At times this was not possible, and we relied on technology to provide that weekly support to both the families and the youth in the foster home. Foster parents have been an integral part of the welfare system through the pandemic. Like all parents, our foster parents were faced with the children in their care being home from school, and needing to step up in all the other ways all parents had to throughout this year. And this is just what they did over this past year. Our foster parents at SAFY stepped up, leaned into this new world and gave their foster children as well as their biological children the love and support they needed.

Why are foster parents important? What is their role in these children’s lives?

Foster parents are our cornerstone. Without them, we don’t have a program. We call them our Agents of Hope and for good reason. They are the ones that provide the safe and loving home where a child can begin to heal from the trauma they have experienced. Foster parents are the day-to-day support for our children experiencing foster care. They do everyday tasks such as cooking for them, helping to ensure they have appropriate clothing, driving them to sports practices, attending their visitations and taking them to any therapy or medical appointments that child may have. On average, 10 youth enter foster care in Colorado every day, through no fault of their own. And CPA’s Child Placing Agencies such as SAFY receive up to 20 referrals per day with children who need a home. Add to this the fact that it can take on average 90-120 days to certify a foster family to be able to take a child. That’s why it is so critical for us to continue to build out a pipeline of loving, safe families who are able to care for children experiencing foster care.

What is the process to become a foster parent, and how can people learn more?

The easiest way to become a foster parent is by going to our website and clicking ‘Become A Foster Parent’ button at the top. This comes directly to our recruiter and we can reach out with more information and next steps. The requirements to become a foster parent are that you are 21 years of age, pass a background check and of course be passionate in working with kids of all ages and backgrounds. At SAFY, we pride ourselves on finding foster families that are as diverse as the children we serve. We love families of all sizes and backgrounds from same sex couples, to single adults, to empty nesters and even grandparents coming back for more!

There are many people who may want to support the mission of SAFY. When someone donates to SAFY, how are their funds used?

Donations play a huge role in helping us fulfill our mission. Some of our urgent needs are gift cards for foster families to help them meet the needs of the foster children in their care. Children experiencing foster care also often need hygiene products, winter coats, socks and new bedding. When donations are made to SAFY, the donor can identify specific ways in which they want their funds to be allocated. When this happens, we spend them accordingly and always provide the funder with the updates on how the funds were spent and try and include pictures of items purchased and quotes from families when applicable. If donations are undesignated, we utilize them mostly for our recruitment and retention activities within our foster care program. It is imperative we are always searching for more foster families to join us and to retain the ones we currently have.

If somebody cannot financially contribute, what other ways can they support SAFY?

SAFY does a lot of recruiting in our communities, so we always enjoy having community members joining in to help spread the mission and hand out flyers and information about us! We are currently working on a volunteer program to help support our foster parents. This is for those who are interested in working with our foster youth in a fun way while allowing the foster parent to go run errands and know their youth is safe and having fun! For more information on this, you can also click the same button to become a foster parent and identify you are interested in volunteering to support our youth and foster families.

How is SAFY securing futures for children and families, and strengthening communities in our state?

We believe strong communities need strong families, so we are proud to work to help families and communities throughout Colorado thrive. In addition to our foster care program, we work with at-risk families and help keep children in their current homes through our Family Preservation Program. This involves working with caregivers and youth to provide them with education around trauma, and provide tools and skills to help families heal and become a more cohesive family unit. We are continuously expanding our services across the counties and always looking for new ways to get involved. Mental health has become a huge focus for us. SAFY became a mobile crisis provider last December working to provide in-the-moment crisis management and reduce police involvement for those experiencing a mental health crisis. We also provide trainings to the community and other community agencies to help reduce the stigma around trauma and mental health.

So, as you can see from the answers, SAFY is a really great organization. They care about kids and they are looking for more support from people like you and me. Let’s spread the word on social media and get the word out! You never know who might be in a situation to work with SAFY. Whether it is considering becoming a foster parent, volunteering or donating, there are many ways to support SAFY and their mission to strengthen communities, families and children. Spreading the word might impact someone’s life in a HUGE way!

Thank you.

How SAFY Is Supporting Children and Families In Colorado