Photo: @Jess.Amburgey
Adjusting to a new home life can be difficult for children in foster care, because of the trauma they have experienced and uncertainty they have about their future. But at St. Joseph Children’s Home, we believe everyone in our community can have a positive impact on a child’s life – whether big or small. You can become a respite care provider, foster parent or adopt a child.
Providing respite for a foster family is the first step you can take in helping us support the children we serve. “As a respite care provider, a child will stay with a certified respite care provider for a short period of time so that the foster family can recharge,” says Lisa Barber-Atwell, Lead Recruitment and Certification Specialist at St. Joe’s. The duration of respite can vary depending on the needs of the foster family but typically lasts for a weekend. You have the option of receiving certification specifically for respite care or you can be certified for respite and foster care.
Lisa encourages people to become certified for both if they express interest in fostering a child later. “The great thing about being a respite provider is that you are a secondary source of emotional support for this child. You become a role model and someone they can rely on when they are having a challenging moment. It also helps you determine whether you would want to become a foster parent. In Kentucky, we have over 8,000 kids in out-of-home care and there are not enough foster parents available to care for them. There is a huge gap that needs to be filled,” she says.
The clinical and foster care team at St. Joe’s is a partner and resource for you. Through St. Joe’s, families can access support groups, therapeutic treatment, case management, kid-friendly events, and we offer on-call support and crisis intervention. “We are with you every step of the way,” says Lisa. St. Joe’s has a caring, compassionate staff who values relationships and teamwork.
For nearly two centuries, St. Joe’s has been at the forefront of child welfare. Forty-eight children live and attend school on the St. Joe’s campus as part of our residential program. Also, as a licensed behavioral health organization, we provide therapeutic treatment for our children which includes mental health therapy, targeted case management, and comprehensive support services.
These services are also available to families outside of the St. Joe’s network. “In opening up therapy services to the community, we give families and children support to find healthy, safe and nurturing ways to communicate and interact with one another,” says Julie Greenwell, Chief Operating Officer at St. Joe’s. Everyone – in their own way – can contribute to the success of a child in need. If you would like to become a respite care provider or learn more about it, you can attend our information meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 5:45 p.m. on the St. Joe’s campus. Contact Lisa Barber-Atwell at 502.893.0241 to register or send an email to alicab@sjkids.org.
This post was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103.
The content of this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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