Finding forever homes: Mentoring and training programs prepare Black Clevelanders to adopt and foster local children

Written by Terricha Phillips

A study released in late 2023 by Kidsave opens with the fact more than 391,000 children and youth are currently in the United States foster care system, and that placement in a safe home is critical to their well-being. The California-based nonprofit organization finds mentoring connections and adoptive families for older children, aiming to increase the rate in which Black children find permanent families. 

Its recent study, “Americans’ Views of Foster Care: Elevating Black Americans’ Perspectives and Experiences,” brings attention to the issue of the disproportionate number of Black children in greater need of stable family environments. Kidsave’s main idea is a strong family unit leads to healthier children who can grow up to obtain jobs and break the cycle of poverty.

According to Adoption Foster Care Analysis Reporting System data by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children, Youth and Families, one in every 10 children do not have a stable placement with a family and almost three in 10 children in foster care are searching for an adoptive family. As of February 20, 2024, in Cuyahoga County, there are approximately 2,207 children in custody with 925 youths in permanent custody and available for adoption, according to Division of Children and Family Services data.

DCFS partner Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) is an example of a therapeutic agency that addresses underlying causes of trauma affecting families, a common challenge during the foster-to-adoption process. Zelma Brown, a recruiter for the Cleveland office, takes interested foster parents through lots of training and educational activities, connecting their desires with the unique needs of the child(ren). 

“We need homes for African-American teenage boys and girls, for teenage mothers and mixed sibling groups at any age,” said Brown, who has firsthand experience as an adoptive and biological mother. “We want a first placement to be that last placement unless they are going back home. When you get to the place where you love the child, you’re going to want for the child what makes them happy if they can go back home.”

Children in Cuyahoga County DCFS custody have various issues related to needing a stable home, such as abuse or neglect, special medical needs or the impact of trauma in their lives, but there is a shortage of homes and facilities across Ohio. Requirements for potential foster parents listed on the county department’s website are being at least 21 years old, sufficient income to meet their basic needs, good holistic health, and being in a stable relationship for at least one year. There are no educational or religious requirements, and home ownership is not necessary. Cuyahoga County’s foster programs provide kinship care (grandparent and family member), childcare for foster children and healthcare through Medicaid.

In Spring 2023, Kidsave partnered with Gallup Panel to conduct its study as part of its EMBRACE Project (Expanding Meaningful Black Relationships And Creating Equity) to identify potential solutions. The study’s goal was to better understand how the American public, especially Black Americans, view the foster care system and adoption from foster care. This study is based on a nationwide sample of 5,469 American adults, including a sample of 1,563 Black Americans, in cities with large populations of foster children to identify the perceptions, knowledge and experiences related to foster care and adoption. Results are intended to help increase the number of foster and adoptive parents available for children in need of care, especially Black children who are disproportionately represented.

The study lists key findings of the overall national trends, including greater knowledge about the foster care system creates more positive feelings towards foster care. It also finds that participating in a program and connecting with children in foster care increases the odds of adoption.

Insufficient training and resources, behavioral/emotional challenges of the child(ren) and changes potential caregivers have to make to their homes are perceived as barriers to both fostering and adoption. 

As for trends among Black Americans, having more knowledge about the system makes caregivers more likely to participate in programs with children in foster care leading up to adoption. On the other hand, Black Americans have lower levels of confidence in certain aspects of the U.S. system: the amount of money required to provide foster care is among the top five barriers for Black adults, and one in four Black Americans say racial and ethnic discrimination is a major barrier to becoming a foster parent. 

Cuyahoga County DJFS partners with private and public adoption and foster care advocacy organizations like SAFY of Ohio’s Cleveland division to recruit parents and families, and each agency offers programs, training and resources for the fostering and foster-to-adopt processes. For example, Adoption Network Cleveland’s free programs and services cover mental health, basic emergency needs, peer support and social activities for adoptive, foster and kinship families.

Cleveland resident Dolores Chapman represents foster and adoptive parents who benefited from mentoring and training programs that prepare adults for caring for children in county custody. Chapman, 62, became a foster mom at age 47 when she and her husband were unable to have biological children. A chance meeting with a foster agency recruiter at a grocery store led to a positive caregiving experience for 96 children, including respite care for other foster parents. “I tell all foster parents, consider yourself a glorified babysitter until the courts say different, because when you let your feelings get too far in the game, you end up crushing yourself,” Chapman said about her mentoring experience with SAFY of Ohio. 

Chapman adopted two female children and specializes in raising girls as sisters with strong values who remain connected to their biological families, because the end goal is to eventually reunite them with their parents. “New foster parents are novices, so they need case workers who have the experience because mistakes can happen,” she said. “The training that (agency recruiters) give to your workers should be a little more advanced than what you give foster parents so they can be very knowledgeable because there are many regulations when dealing with other people’s children.”