Every child deserves a chance at a forever home. The Finding Our Children Unconditional Support (FOCUS) Program is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Harmony Adoptions, and provider agencies across the state to encourage adopting children in our foster care system.
FOCUS serves children in full guardianship in the statewide foster care system who are in need of a forever family. These children are often more challenging to place because of their length of time in custody, history of multiple home or residential placements, and their emotional and behavioral needs. FOCUS works to build a team of support around each child.
Since the program was founded in 2007, more than 800 children have been served with more than half of the children finding permanency through adoption, reunification with members of their birth family, or with a resource family. Other children have been able to re-establish lasting relationships with a former teacher, neighbor, previous resource parent or relatives. It is essential that every child have a team of support and a place to spend the holidays year after year.
In March 2010, the FOCUS Program began an Intense Recruitment project that worked to provide a higher level of teaming in an effort to increase permanency and to develop larger support networks for our children. FOCUS staff complete an intensive research process which includes:
- interviews with the child, agency, DCS staff, family members, and other significant adults in the child’s life
- a comprehensive case file review
- follow-up with all potential contacts
- creation of a genogram (pictorial display of the child’s family and medical history)
The follow-up includes locating the identified individuals through internet searches, certified letters, cold calls and home visits. A team of both professionals and informal support meet weekly to outline action steps and discuss progress and barriers. This Intense Recruitment effort has yielded a success rate of over 80%. Most importantly, these children now have a re-connection to their past that will be the bridge to their transition into adulthood.
For additional information about FOCUS, foster children needing forever families, or how to you may become a part of the life of the children we serve; please visit www.parentachild.org or call 865.982.5225.
FOCUS – The FOCUS Program is a collaboration between the Department of Children’s Services, Harmony Adoptions, and provider agencies across the state. FOCUS serves children statewide in the foster care system that are in full guardianship and are in need of a forever family. Read more…
