In the 12th Judicial Circuit—Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties—an unprecedented number of children have been removed from their homes as a result of the opioid and heroin crisis. Our philanthropic community—individual donors, giving circles, corporate givers, and foundations—is called to respond.

When children are separated from their parents, an entire system needs to respond with expert coordination of care, services to minimize trauma, and carefully managed systems to ensure a path to reunification or permanency. In early 2017 with support from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation began convening a group of local organizations and government leaders in the child welfare space to better understand the growing needs in foster care—how we can work together to make a difference for our children.

The Needs:
Children in foster care, foster parents, and the organizations that provide effective programs and services need our support. Examples of these immediate opportunities include:

• Supporting Early Childhood Court, a model providing judicial leadership, a community coordinator to facilitate the court team’s activities, monthly court reviews, child-parent psychotherapy, frequent parent-child contact, and the use of family team meetings.
• Boosting efforts to recruit new foster families. In Manatee County alone, 100 new foster homes are needed.
• Ongoing training and support for foster parents. Being a foster parent is one of the most rewarding ways to change a life for good, but it requires a system of responsive guidance.
• Trauma-informed care for children and training in trauma informed care for teachers, case workers, foster parents and other professionals.

The Fund:
Manatee Community Foundation’s Foster Care Fund has been created with the support of the Barancik Foundation’s generous investment of $240,000 to address these needs. We are seeking matching support to strengthen our opportunity to help the organizations addressing this critical issue.

To discuss a gift of cash, appreciated assets such as stock, or a gift from your donor advised fund, contact Jennifer Abbott, Director of Philanthropy, at JAbbott@ManateeCF.org or (941) 556-5446.