Children’s Home Society Celebrates National Reunification Month During June
June 20 2024 - 2:54PM
Each June, during National Reunification Month, Children’s Home
Society of NC (CHS) celebrates ongoing efforts around the country
to help families be reunited whenever safely possible after
children have entered foster care.
“We see the positive impact of reunification on the lives of
children in the foster care system and their parents, and reuniting
families remains our primary goal,” said Shannon Enoch, CHS
Executive Director of Programs. “Research shows that children who
live in their family communities have better and more successful
outcomes than those who are placed outside of those communities.
About half of the youth who come into our care are reunited with
their families of origin.”
Youth who have been removed from their homes and placed in
foster care need positive relationships and connections with their
parents and other family members to maintain the integrity of these
relationships – in hopes that they will be able to return home.
Foster parents in particular play a critical role in cultivating
relationships with birth parents by supporting child and parent
contact and visitation to increase the likelihood of successful
reunification.
CHS especially celebrates its more than 500 CHS foster parents
who are enabling reunification, like Robbi and Cliff Whittlesey who
fostered a brother and sister who were ultimately reunited with
their birth parents thanks to shared parenting. Through shared
parenting, foster parents cultivate positive, supportive
relationships with birth parents, which ultimately benefits the
children.
“We saw how involved their parents wanted to be with their
children," Robbi said. “We all make mistakes and go through
different journeys in our lives. We saw the love for their children
come though. We have been so blessed for these kids to call us
their foster parents. They are part of our family now, as well as
their parents, and we look forward to seeing them grow up and
sharing in their successes along the way.”
With nearly 11,000 children in care in North Carolina and only
5,400 foster homes, there is a critical shortage of foster parents.
The need is great for foster families to support these children
during the transition while they await reunification with their
family of origin, guardianship with relatives, or adoption.
For more information on Children’s Home Society, becoming a
foster or adoptive parent, volunteering, or providing financial
support, please call 800-632-1400 or visit www.chsnc.org.
Children's Home Society is dedicated to providing top-quality,
evidence-based programs and services to children and families
throughout North Carolina. Our education and child welfare
staff provided services to more than 22,000 individuals last year,
educating and preserving families, supporting children and families
through transitions, and creating new families.
Robbi and Cliff Whittlesey are available for
interviews.Please contact Dillard Spring to schedule:
800-632-1400 dspring@chsnc.org
About Children’s Home Society of North CarolinaChildren’s Home
Society offers a network of services and support throughout North
Carolina to help establish and sustain healthy, loving
relationships in every family. For 120 years, Children’s Home
Society has provided a broad spectrum of programs and services
including adoption, foster care, parenting education, family
preservation, and teen responsibility. Children’s Home Society
believes in the importance of family, not only in the life of a
child but also in the foundation of a community. For more
information, visit www.chsnc.org.
- Robbi and Cliff Whittlesey with children who were in their care
before reunification
Dillard Spring
Children's Home Society of North Carolina
8006321400
dspring@chsnc.org