Our goal is to help keep children safe and out of the foster care system. Safe Families for Children ministers God’s Love to families in need. Safe Families for Children offers volunteers an opportunity to transform their communities by reaching out to care for children whose parents are facing challenges. Right from their own homes, families participate in ministry by offering hospitality, hope,
and the love of Christ to families in a crisis that could temporarily jeopardize the parents’ ability to provide safety and stability for their children. As a Safe Family, volunteers host children for a short period of time, allowing the child's parent(s) to focus on resolving the issues that led to the crisis. The average length of a child's stay in a Safe Family home is about 45 days but is assessed on a case-by-case basis and can vary in length, depending on the needs of child and each family. After being screened and trained by Bethany staff, volunteers join a support network offering families temporary respite care for their children during the earliest signs of a crisis. Safe Families, who are primarily from area churches, open their homes and provide a child with a safe, nurturing place to live while his or her parents work to bring stability back to their family. Because placement with a Safe Family is voluntary, parents never have to worry about losing custody of their children while they work out their problems, and they may request that their children return at any time. Safe Families is not foster care or adoption—the goal of the program is the reunification of children with their biological parent(s) in a home that is more stable and healthy. Mothers and fathers going through a temporary crisis can request a volunteer Safe Family to host their children (from newborns through age 17) while they work to resolve the issues that led to the situation. Most children placed with a Safe Family are 6 years old or younger. Whenever possible, children stay with a family in the same community and remain in contact with their biological parents through phone calls and visits. In addition to screening and training volunteers, Bethany also offers ongoing support to volunteers as they care for children. Bethany also works with the biological parents during the placement to help them identify steps to regain stability and be reunited with their child quickly and safely.
