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Free, round-the-clock help for children, teens and parents
Since its founding in 1978, Kids in Crisis has helped more than 80,000 Connecticut children and families; in
2007 more than 8,100 children and families received assistance from the organization.
Based in Cos Cob, Kids in Crisis provides services to children of all socio- economic conditions in
Fairfield County, including those in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford,
Weston, Westport and Wilton.
For community programs call 203-622-6556
For Help call
203-327-KIDS
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Kids in Crisis - Insight Issue 38
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Fixing The Foster Care System
As supporters of Kids in Crisis know all too well, the average length of stay for a child in emergency shelter care – a boy or girl who can’t go home again – continues to grow. While the average resident of the Teen House and Crisis Nursery spent an average of 14 days here just nine years ago, today a resident may spend a significantly longer time at Kids in Crisis. Despite statistics, state government appears to be hesitating on dealing with this life-changing (or more appropriately, life-halting) issue. A bill before the Legislature that would have given a juvenile court judge oversight of cases where teens are in shelter care for more than a month has “gone nowhere this year in the General Assembly,” notes Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green. In late May he wrote, “It’s National Foster Care Month. Is anyone out there paying attention?”
Kids in Crisis is. That’s why the professional staff at Kids in Crisis suggests government officials and individuals should consider “Four Fixes That Will Make A Difference – FAST.”
- Institute a “SWAT Team” system of quick, appropriate assessment, within 72 hours, of every child that enters the “system.” Utilize existing relationships to obtain an immediate physical, emotional, educational evaluation of each child to determine the best possible placement for them, be it a relative, temporary shelter and/or foster care. This assessment should – and can – be done within 72 hours of a child’s referral.
- Set a two-week time limit for state/ parent/legal guardian contacts and providers to meet and determine an appropriate placement plan based on existing resources. Once the assessment has been made, force this group to gather and discuss all placement options, providing a structure of where a child will go and by when. This will require greater coordination and cooperation between the Department of Children and Families, the Court System and providers.
- Create a better mechanism for the recruitment, support and maintenance of foster families. Once a child is placed, too often a family is left to “fend for themselves” in the face of significant physical, educational or mental health challenges. Officials must create an effective Case Manager system for each child pre- and postplacement, or better yet, use a past Kids in Crisis proposal that calls for an on-site DCF worker at each shelter (or perhaps 1 worker for 2 shelters) in the state (total:12) to facilitate correct, quick and effective foster or family placements.
- Rally the community. Shelters and DCF must tap into extensive community resources, including businesses, individuals, merchants and others to help provide a meaningful environment for children in shelter care. Children should not have to sit locked in a shelter facility. For example, here at Kids in Crisis, our children use town Parks and Recreation facilities (including a donated garden for planting and harvesting vegetables). They have regular, supervised access to other organizations’ facilities, including the Boys and Girls Club and the local Y. Area movie theatres discount tickets for our children, enabling us to take our group of up to 20 kids to the movies regularly. Local salons provide free haircuts. By simply being creative and proactive, we have found area communities “leaning forward” in order to better the lives of the children in our care.
| “Often we think that the problem is too big to get our arms around it,” says Shari Shapiro, Executive Director. “We need to put away the thinking that the problems are insurmountable and, instead, collabrate on meaningful change.”
Funding Operating Costs
It’s not sexy. Chances are there won’t be banners hanging from the building announcing your financial commitment. But a nonprofit that receives funds to cover operating expenses will be thankful for more than just your dollars. They will appreciate your insight on how programs can be affected by assisting with administrative costs.
The fact is, organizations need help “keeping the lights on,” paying salaries, administrative costs, insurance expenses, and more. While it may be good salesmanship to tell donors that “every dollar donated goes to program costs,” it’s done so at a cost. When infrastructure is not supported, programs ARE impacted as staff faces uncompetitive salaries, limited staff development opportunities and insufficient investments in technology.
The Independent Sector, a growing consortium of nonprofits, foundations and corporate philanthropy programs has called on donors to “choose to provide general operating support over project support whenever it is appropriate, feasible and the goals of the foundation and nonprofit are closely aligned.”
Companies and individuals who support a particular program may want to consider factoring in the administrative and fundraising costs a nonprofit may incur to run the program. That way, says The Independent Sector, those expenses don’t diminish an organization’s effectiveness.
At Kids in Crisis, management and development costs account for less than 15% of total annual expenses. “We have always been mission driven,” says Shari Shapiro, Executive Director of Kids in Crisis, “which is why we have been able to keep our operating expenses low. We pay very close attention to costs at all times, but particularly when it comes to operating expenses. Our goal is to serve the children, and to do so by providing innovative ideas from talented staff.”
Making Downtime Fun
The dedicated staff at the Teen House has been working overtime developing weekend events that are fun for all the children staying at Kids in Crisis. Both the teens and the children take part in the events, making Friday nights a highlight for everyone. First up in late spring was Bingo Night, spearheaded by Senior Counselor Nyisha Clough. All staff at Kids in Crisis was invited; door prizes and a wide range of gifts for Bingo winners made the night great, indeed. Two weeks later, the Teen House hosted “Murder at KIC,” a murder mystery dinner party where residents and staff played pre-assigned parts to solve the murder of Adolescent Services Director Craig Haen. Most recently, Counselor Stephanie Franco directed the kids at a one-night talent show, featuring unique interests. Residents showed their skills through singing, dancing, joke-telling, poetry recitation, impressions and the lost art of Hula-Hooping. Next up: Bringing the Outdoors Indoors, with rockclimbing at Stamford’s “Go Vertical” sports facility.
Pass The Life Experiences, Please
This summer kicks off the third year of the successful “Dining with Dignitaries” program, when adults from all walks of life and all professional backgrounds are invited to the Teen House for an evening meal. The dinner allows the kids staying at Kids in Crisis the chance to hear about overcoming obstacles, set goals and consider possible new career paths. Past participants have included a children’s book author, an area chef, a police officer, the owner of a local salon, firefighter, even a local financial executive who collects antique cars. For both kids and guests, it’s a highlight of the summer. We’re currently looking for “Dignitaries” to join us this summer – everyone from teachers to artists, from salespeople to contractors. If you can spare a couple of hours one weeknight this summer, join our roster of men and women willing to open up a world of possibilities for our kids. Please contact Jamie Dorman at 622-6556.
Fundraising To A Brazilian Beat
The annual Kids in Crisis “Hoedown” event on May 12 proved to be the most successful fundraiser in the in the Agency’s 29-year history. On a beautiful Saturday evening, Co-Chairs Alex Bergstein and Alice Ruf and their dedicated committee helped transport more than 500 attendees to the Brazilian Rainforest, when Hoedown Traveled to the Amazon.
Tents on the grounds of Tudor Investments Corporation were twinkling with hundreds of candles while lush tropical plants and thousands of orchids waved in the soft spring breeze. Following a fun cocktail hour and silent auction, the sounds of vibrant samba music were interrupted by the chain of a dozen Brazilian dancers and drummers who led the group into dinner and the evening’s festivities...
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No Ordinary Silver Anniversary
This summer brings the 25th anniversary of Managing Director Denise Qualey’s association with Kids in Crisis. From her first job – truthfully, student internship – to today, when she oversees the Clinical and Program Services for the agency, Denise has helped Kids in Crisis expand from a four-bed facility for runaways to today’s Agency, offering a wide array of shelter, counseling and prevention programs. In celebration of her tremendous contributions to Kids in Crisis over the past quarter century, Denise will travel to Cambodia this fall with a group of leading social workers from throughout the nation. The group will work with government officials and local clinicians on techniques and developments in shelter care for children. Denise will report back on her observations and experiences in a future issue of Insight.
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