HIGH POINT CHILDREN'S CABINET MAKES STRIDES IN FOSTER PARENT RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
Community group also notes collaboration to open Harmony House in Annual Progress Report
HIGH POINT, NC—High Point Children's Cabinet today marked its first anniversary by announcing its progress in the areas of foster care parent recruitment, training and support at Partners-Prevention-Hope, a community event shedding light on efforts to keep children safe and healthy.
The Children's Cabinet was formed last year to address seven key priorities related to troubling statistics of children's welfare in High Point. These statistics related to the high rate of children placed away from their birth parents, the high number of placement moves for children in Child Protective Services' Care, the low proportion of children placed in their own neighborhoods and the disparities associated with race and ethnicity in each of these indicators.
Recruitment
Over the past year, Children’s Cabinet developed several action steps to recruit new foster parents in High Point, including challenges to current foster parents, radio spots, booths at events and referrals from social workers. These efforts have resulted in 50+ inquiries about foster parenting. From them, 28 parents local to High Point have begun training.
Five more homes have been licensed to provide foster care since April of 2003. A total of 20 active foster care homes are now available to children. The Children's Cabinet's goal by this time next year is 100.
Support and Training
The Children's Cabinet also placed a priority in assessing the needs of foster care parents in order to provide them better support and training. As a result, the Cabinet is beginning a series of focus groups this month to assess from foster care parents and children to identify the most pressing problems associated with foster care in High Point.
Tonight's focus group will be comprised of current and past foster parents and kinship foster parents. The Guilford County Department of Social Services (DSS), Youth Unlimited and Senior Resources of Guilford County are collaborating for this event.
On April 12th, Youth Focus is working with the Cabinet to gather 20-30 teens ages 16-18 who are currently in foster care to participate in a focus group. These youth will be asked a set of questions to determine their needs and issues.
Under the direction of the Cabinet, DSS is partnering with Youth Unlimited to conduct training for foster parents. The Cabinet is also working with UNCG to develop further training.
Harmony House
Outside of the seven priorities originally drafted by the group, the Children's Cabinet has been open to other community suggestions for serving children in High Point. One such initiative is Harmony House, a concept to address the needs of children of divorce in the High Point Community. Based on a successful model used in Ft. Collins, Colo. several community members have developed a plan to bring Harmony House to High Point.
Harmony House would provide a safe, home-like environment for use by families who are required to participate in supervised visitations. Currently, many families have to spend visitation time in sterile office areas and other public areas.
It would also serve as a safe, neutral location for parents to exchange their children for the purposes of visitation. At Harmony House, parents could drop their child(ren) off without having to interact with their ex-spouse, preventing children’s damaging exposure to conflicts between the parents.
This subcommittee of the Children’s Cabinet is actively seeking funding, nonprofit status and a location for Harmony House in order to begin providing these services to divorced families. It hopes to begin operating in the fall of this year.
The Cabinet also shared the latest figures for indicators of children's welfare in High Point, as supplied by DSS. The indicators reinforced Children’s Cabinet commitment to treating these priorities as long-term goals in order to achieve true progress for the High Point Community.
"I am so proud of the work of the Cabinet and feel we are on the right path for improving conditions for children in need," said Laura Wiley, High Point City Council Member and co-chair of the High Point Children's Cabinet.
About the High Point Children's Cabinet:
The Children's Cabinet, which meets several times throughout the year, includes service providers, public officials and community members. It is chaired by High Point City Council Members Bernita Sims and Laura Wiley. 
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