Why are over 7,400 kids in Wisconsin foster care? Why aren't there enough foster parents in Wisconsin? Another heartbreaking story of a teen in foster care. Meet Emily, a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl in need of a new foster home. Her story is familiar; her trauma is prevalent. Her wish for a loving home continues.
Most Wisconsin foster kids ages 11-18 are placed in group homes. Older kids of the same age range and gender live together in a house with staff and 24/7 supervision. The majority of kids placed in group homes have significant trauma histories. Sadly, these kids would heal best in a family environment. A house with a loving parent or two, possibly with other children, pets, and opportunities for healthy, structured family activities.
Emily is currently living in a Wisconsin group home, hoping to move to a loving, nurturing family home.
Emily does not have contact with her biological family. She has one brother who lives with an aunt in southern Wisconsin. She also has a half-brother, but his location is unknown. Emily is a victim of severe neglect and prolonged sexual abuse by more than one individual. She struggles with not feeling worthy or loved and has difficulty forming healthy relationships.
Emily was referred to CCR in the hopes of matching her with a loving foster family that could help her heal from past traumas. We did not have the right home in the right location that could meet her needs. Unfortunately, Emily will remain in her current group home until the referring county locates a home for her.
Matching a child with a Family
Children like Emily can thrive when placed with nurturing foster parents. With the right tools and support in place, foster parents can see tremendous growth and heal with the kids in their care. Every child placed in a CCR foster home has an individualized treatment plan. The plan has specific goals and actions to help kids work through their trauma. Often, progress is made in baby steps, but great healing can happen over time. We desperately wanted to provide that for Emily. We didn't have a home available.
A typical youth comes to us with a long list of challenges. Kids with significant trauma histories struggle with emotions, behaviors, relationships, and academics. Our goal is to help them heal. CCR foster parents are trained to help kids like Emily challenged and burdened with the following:
Amazingly, Emily is engaging, willingly participates in household chores, likes animals, and loves younger children. Her favorite activity is baking cookies. She says she can't think of negative things when focused on baking. She is not fond of dressing up or polishing nails but prefers using her creativity to draw and paint. Emily admits she doesn't like school and often does not try her best. She has few friends at school and gets along well with other girls in her group home. For all the horror she has been through, she has a positive attitude and wears a smile most of the time.
We were highly disappointed that we could not place Emily in a loving home. Our long-time referral coordinator Brian certainly did his due diligence, but the right home just wasn't there for her. On average, CCR receives 40-45 child referrals each month. Of those, less than 20% of kids will be placed. We do not have enough foster homes. We need foster homes for teens, siblings, and young school-age children.
Please contact us to learn how you can get started to help kids like Emily.
