National Foster Care Month

What the Rees-Jones Center does to raise awareness and advocate for families all year long

National Foster Care Month has been observed in May since 1988. It serves as a time to increase awareness about issues related to foster care and to recognize individuals who help young people in foster care, such as parents, family members, foster parents, child welfare professionals, CASA workers and volunteers and many more. We all know, however, that one month of awareness raising is not enough. Young people in care need our support every day.

With that in mind, we at the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence work within our communities and across the state to strengthen partnerships, increase resource availability and awareness about existing resources, and generally meet the needs of children in care and their families. Some of the ways we do that include our work with the North Texas Foster Care Consortium, the Children’s Commission Collaborative Council, the Child Protection Roundtable, the Texas Pediatric Society’s Foster Care Committee, and the United Way of Metro Dallas’ Family Wellness Council.

Throughout the year, the Rees-Jones Center partners with other Children’s Health teams and departments to talk about foster care topics ranging from navigating CPS as a healthcare provider – which is particularly useful for medical students – to how to support caregivers and understanding trauma. These presentations and trainings help to ensure that our families receive the best possible care and support. Along with presentations to the healthcare community, we frequently meet with community partners and stakeholders to share expertise and to provide information about our program.

Along with training, our team regularly participates in events throughout DFW. These events are a great opportunity for us to tell others about our services and why trauma-informed care is so important for families who have experienced the child welfare system. It also provides opportunities for us to learn about other providers and organizations in the community so that we can pass these resources along to our patient families. In the last few weeks, we have participated in multiple events specific to child welfare workers, the Community Council of Greater Dallas’ Family Fit Fest, and other events supporting families. We are always looking for other opportunities to share information about our program, so if your organization has an event coming up and think the Rees-Jones Center should be there, please reach out to Erinne Conner.

This newsletter is a great way to stay connected with the Rees-Jones Center team, and our website is another avenue to find more information about our program and services, our efforts to support youth aging out of foster care, how to make and prepare for an appointment, our research efforts and publications and additional resources available within Children’s Health and throughout DFW. We are here to support, advocate and connect, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is ever a way that the Rees-Jones Center team can help.