Extended Hands Foster Network

Resource & Support Network for Foster Parents

“The Hub” training & recreation center

Foster Residential Home Network

The core purpose of Extended Hands Foster Network is to connect with loving families, to support those families in the foster process to make every house a home, to facilitate placing every child into a loving home while in foster care, to advocate for placement with only restored biological families and to champion an expedient adoption process if bio-placement is terminated.

Stage 1           

A Network for Foster & Foster-Adoptive family focused on the recruitment, development, support and retention of foster parents and the improvement of lifestyle for foster children.  By further developing this network of resources and support, we will be able to find and retain loving homes for children within the foster care system.   By supporting current foster parents, we will decrease turnover and improve conditions within the system by placing students with tenured parents.  In parenting, nothing compares to experience; which is why retention will be our driving force to meet our goal of making, “Every House a Home.” Additionally, through continuing to support parents through and after adoption, the network will play a role in advocating for families to make the heavy choice to become a forever family (adoptive).  The services and support EHF will provide consist of the following, but are not limited to these due to continuous expansion:

·        Info Support Network

o       Consist of emotional support and provision of answers throughout the application process for potential foster families.  As an additional support system, EHF contributes to the support of foster families and DHS workers throughout the crucial first stages of introduction to fostering.

·        Parent retreats

o       3 day getaways for foster & adoptive families through OMI-Public Strategies (Available with funding of $75 per couple for foster parents and free to adoptive parents).

·        EHF Resource Bank of strollers, baby beds, car seats, twin/bunk beds, etc., which foster and adoptive parents can check out as needed.

·        Parent’s Night Out

o       Monthly events enabling foster parent’s an opportunity to go out for an evening.

o       Child care provided.

o       Gift cards or Discounts available at participating restaurants.

·        Kid’s Night Out (quarterly events for school age foster children grades    K thru 12^th).

o       Events focused on giving attention, entertainment and support to adolescents in foster care to promote ideals of self worth and purpose.

o       Facilitated through partnerships with Life Covenant, HYPE and Southwestern Christian University (SCU).

·        Hope to Hands Christmas Gift drive

o       Aimed at showing love to every foster child in Oklahoma through additional gifts and toys at Christmas time.

o       A program supported by various church, community and business organizations.

·        Hands of Thanks

o       Thanksgiving baskets for foster and foster-adoptive families to convey appreciation for a lifestyle of generosity towards children in foster care.

·        Support/Life Groups at local churches (education, training & support).

o       Provision of setup, facilitation, support, curriculum (OMI/Financial Peace University) and snacks.

o       Organized in local churches to improve probability of success.

o       Equally develops support between individuals within individual churches.

·        Teen Foster Camp

o       A week long camp set up specifically as a retreat for students in foster care grades 6^th through 12^th.

·        Setup of foster parent training classes at local churches or community centers.

o       Provision of childcare for parents during foster parent classes.

·        Life Share

o       Clothing center & food pantry available to families.

·        Provision of additional school supplies through partnership with Life Covenant.

·        The Extended Hand- a newsletter providing encouragement, resource updates and general information sent to participating families.

Stage 2

The Hub will serve the foster parent network as a training center, central offices and a recreational campus for foster & adopted children.  The Hub will allow foster parent’s not only the needed refreshing which is so important in retention and success in fostering, but it will also assist in continued training throughout placement.  By supporting current parents, we will decrease the high turnover rate. Additionally, the Hub will provide a harboring recreational campus which students will have the ability to learn, grow and just be kids!  Consider the possibilities such a campus could afford.  The Hub is a crucial piece to making Every House a Home and Every Child a Success!

Stage 3

Foster Residential Homes are a large key in resolving the current difficulties within the Child Welfare system.  By both leasing and purchasing multiple houses instead of single “mega-bed” facilities, EHF plans to further expand it’s reach across Oklahoma into multiple counties.  This will also allow for students to live in home environments with parents who have been trained  and certified by the Department of Human Services with additional development, support and supervision by EHF.  These homes will be superised by tenured foster parents who have consistently worked to provide homes for Oklahoma’s foster kids and desire to expand their work into a larger house to reach more kids.  Equally important, these house parents will have a network of support consisting not only of their DHS case workers, but also the foundations framework of other foster parents, supervisors and staff. 

Through the foundation’s partnerships, EHF will be placing it’s first family into a 6 bedroom Foster Residential Home in January 2007!   

Extended Hands, along with various partnering organizations, will support the Department of Human Services in accomplishing a shared goal of not allowing one child to be left behind, overlooked or unloved.  Through divine partnerships, the body of Christ will carry Jesus directive to care for the “orphans” of our day, “foster children.”