Page 20 - Our Hands Spring 2023

FAMILY PRESERVATION

Give Family Preservation a Chance

Samaritas is a leader in Family Preservation programs and has been at the forefront of developing them
for more than 20 years.

Family Preservation means that we will do everything possible to keep families together. We will advocate for kids in the middle of rough
family conflicts to get services to deal with those challenges while they remain in their homes.

Foster care is an extreme intervention that must be used sparingly
because of the lifelong trauma it can cause. When a child is put into
foster care, they not only lose their parents; but they lose the
continuity of extended family, teachers, friends, and other kin that
comfort them. Plus, some kids may feel they’ve done something
terribly wrong and are being punished for it. They can carry that
trauma with them into their adult lives.

The 2021 Casey Family Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study
revealed that foster kids have twice the rate of post-traumatic stress
disorder that Gulf War veterans.

When Family Preservation programs are considered first:

Caseworkers have more time to spend on children who need to
be placed in foster care.

Birth parents caught in the net of child protective services (CPS)
can be evaluated with kindness and compassion.

Overall foster care populations decline.

Children being treated for behavioral problems are easier to
manage when they are around people they trust.

Samaritas Family Preservation programs are working to keep kids safe in their own homes.
Visit samaritas.org\fostercare for more information and how you can support this work.
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