CareSource Child Welfare Expert Shares Insight at National Conference

Leaders from across the country gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, to share insights on how to best care for children experiencing foster care. The Christian Alliance for Orphans Conference is described as a gathering of faith communities, church leaders, nonprofit leaders, foster and adoptive parents, and child welfare professionals from around the nation to help find solutions for children in foster care.

CareSource’s Director of Child and Family Health Kellie Hans Reid spoke on a panel on how the managed care organization builds partnerships within communities to improve outcomes for low-income families.

“Children in foster care often face the added challenges of poverty, systemic racism, loneliness and low or poor relational health,” said Kellie. “Community partnerships can help increase the availability of safe, stable, nurturing home environments and relationships, which are essential components of long-term health for children.”

CareSource partners with a wide-variety of community-based organizations to find the best possible outcomes for kids in foster care. Organizations can help people find housing, utility assistance, legal advocacy, respite, educational support and job assistance. CareSource Life Services® offers programming to families in need that supplies parents or caregivers with a Life Coach who assists them in finding stable housing, employment and child care. 

Sometimes entry into foster care cannot be prevented. In those cases, we aim to partner with state child welfare partners to work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for youth in care. 

We partner with physical and behavioral health providers to ensure youth get timely treatment after they enter foster care.  We also ensure people caring for youth in foster care get the support they need as well through foster parent groups and other faith-based partners, like CarePortal, who are focused on making sure all caregivers have the hard goods they need to care for children. 

Our support doesn’t end when the youth leaves foster care. CareSource also offer programming and partners with agencies who offer tailored support to meet the needs of families who adopt out of foster care, and for those young people who age out of foster care and enter adulthood. 

“It's crucial that we focus on the potential for positive change and the incredible spectrum of benefits that we can unlock by adopting a prevention-based approach to child abuse and maximizing on community partnerships,” said Kellie. “CareSource focuses our attention and resources on the underlying causes of child abuse, we have the ability not only to increase security and opportunity for children but also to protect their long-term health.”