Here4YOUth Investment to Support Families

August 13, 2021 – Sarasota

In an effort to support families in our community and sustain case managers who work with children and families, the Here4YOUth Mental Health Initiative of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and Gulf Coast Community Foundation has granted $14,900 to Safe Children Coalition. The funds will be used to provide case manager support as well as subsidize Safe Children Coalition’s Foster Parent Appreciation and Family Reunification events.

The three key areas of support covered by the grant include:

• Sustainability for Safe Children Coalition’s case managers: The purpose is to support case managers, arguably the most important position at the organization. Case managers work directly with families during times of great stress and are a trusted adult for children in care. Funding will enable the creation of a more trauma-informed work environment to assist with staff retention and morale. . The funding will help Safe Children Coalition to support case managers experiencing compassion fatigue, burnout and secondary trauma stress resulting from working with children and families in crisis.
• Foster family appreciation: Here4YOUth funding subsidized this year’s socially-distanced drive-thru Foster Appreciation Event, held during National Foster Care Month. Each foster parent received a “picnic swag bag” with fixings including table coverings, utensils, snacks and games to enjoy together. Additionally, Mission BBQ was on-site so that attendees could get the main course for their picnics. Approximately 100 foster parents were in attendance, enjoying the goodies and appreciation of a grateful community.
• Family reunification: Similar to the concept of Safe Children Coalition’s Adoption Day celebrations, Safe Children Coalition’s Family Reunification Event – held during National Reunification Month in June – put the spotlight on the tremendous accomplishments of parents and children who have been reunified. The celebration recognized the hard work of parents to meet their case management goals and the joy of children who returned to a safe environment. The gathering helped families to see others like them who have experienced the same journey and that they are not alone. Families who have been reunified for 6 months to one year got to know their peers as well as received other gifts to assist them in their ongoing journey. 

The funding was provided through the Here4YOUth Initiative of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Powered by more than two dozen frontline mental-health providers, Here4YOUth seeks to transform the system of mental health care in Sarasota County, so that it fully meets the needs of our community’s children, youth and young adults.

For more about Safe Children Coalition, visit sccfl.org. To learn about the Here4YOUth collaborative, go to here4youth.org.