Finding Forever Families for Youth in LA County

They both give foster youth the chance to meet someone they can learn to trust. Trust can be a scarce commodity among foster youth, and Kidsave’s monthly teen-friendly events in Los Angeles – from cooking and cake decorating to hiking and scavenger hunts – enable trust to blossom and grow. Here, they can have fun in a relaxed setting and spend time with adults who are interested in getting to know them, hosting them in their homes on weekends and helping them find permanent families. All the adults who participate in this program, Weekend Miracles, are volunteers who make a commitment to spend time with their host child twice each month for at least a year. Many families decide to adopt the child they host.

Just by doing ordinary things together -- walking, shopping, going to movies and sports events, even just reading and listening to music – bonds of trust can develop. The result? These young people have someone who cares about them; someone to confide in and help them plan their future. Someone who guides and corrects them, and gives them the kind of support one can only get from family. For these kids, it’s often a first.

 Relationships that began at Weekend Miracles events in 2017 have led to host family matches for 21 older foster youth (ages 9-17) in Los Angeles County. Several of the youth are in the process of being adopted by the adults they met through Weekend Miracles.

 Kidsave’s staff has trained child welfare professionals worldwide to implement Kidsave’s cornerstone program, the “family visit” model. As a result of this training, similar programs have recently been implemented in Adams County, Colorado and in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. For older kids who have moved from foster home to foster home, never connecting with a caring adult, Weekend Miracles is a life-changer.

Links:

• Learn more about Kidsave