Our mission is to support and educate adoptive families for successful permanency and well-being.

 

Who We Are

We are a group of adoptive parents and professionals who believe adoptive families deserve quality post-adoption education, services and support. With our backgrounds as adoptive parents as well as working professionally in therapy, social work, foster care, social services, and law, we set out to serve the families and children in our community whose needs are not being met by current programs. 

 

Community Need

Adoptive families—especially those who adopt children from foster care—often need extra support. Many children in foster care, including those waiting for adoption, have special physical, mental health, and developmental needs resulting from past trauma, drug and alcohol exposure, and multiple and unexplained separations and loses. Studies show that these children are at heightened risk of moderate to severe health problems, learning disabilities, developmental delays, physical impairments, and mental health difficulties. 

​

Post-adoption services are a necessary and vital support to families raising children with often-serious behavioral, emotional, psychological or physical disabilities. With support programs, families are able to remain committed and effective parents as they raise their children who have special needs. Further, research shows us sustainable and successful adoptions where families receive support services save money for our communities and keep our children, families, and communities safe.

​

Shasta County is severely lacking in post-adoptive services available for families, both services to prevent placement disruption and services for intervention when placement is jeopardized. When in crisis, families are finding there is often nowhere for them to turn. The services that are currently in place are simply ineffective and potentially damaging, as they provide no real support to families which discourages families from reaching out. Our county also lacks adoption-competent therapists, which are crucial as child trauma and adoption issues presents unique challenges. This is resulting in families feeling helpless and alone in crisis, either becoming isolated and afraid or turning to law enforcement when a child’s behaviors escalate to include issues of safety. Unfortunately, neither of those options provide families support and simply waste law enforcement’s time as they are not trained to deal with child mental health issues.  We then see an increase in child hospitalizations and an increase in children being placed in residential care and whole families being traumatized and living with symptoms of PTSD. This is placing strain on our community resources and finances. Our children and families are not receiving the services that help support them in their success. Additionally, the strain it is putting on families is resulting in extremely and chronically stressed parents which leads to serious health issues and divorce. 

​

Our goals are to keep families together and to ensure children’s success by providing them the support and services they need. These children grow up to be our community members, and it is the community that must support them in their success.

​

Services We Will Provide

The Kindred Hearts Foundation will be a post-adoptive service center. Services will include:

• Individual, family and group therapy

• Wraparound services

• Monthly parent support groups (childcare included)

• Quarterly parent education trainings (childcare included)

• Community education trainings 

• Parent advocates

• Warm line with information on other community resources 

• Family events

• Respite care

• Child mentor program

• Public policy advocacy 

 

How You Can Help

The Kindred Hearts Foundation is seeking financial support for the startup costs associated with starting and managing a non-profit. As we roll out services, it is crucial that the services remain accessible and free to families. When the foundation grows and is successful in its mission, we will be able to apply for grants, state funding and county contracts; however, initial funding is a crucial first step that is needed. 

 

We are also in need of volunteers interested in helping with our mission, serving on committees and supporting fundraising efforts.