The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. Neighbor to Family Sibling Foster Care Model has been rated by the CEBC in the areas of: Placement Stabilization and Resource Parent Recruitment and Training.

The Neighbor To Family Sibling Foster Care Model was developed by Gordon Johnson as the Neighbor To Neighbor model while he was President & CEO of The Jane Addams Hull House Association. The unique child-centered, family-focused foster care model is designed to keep sibling groups, including large sibling groups, together in stable foster care placements while working intensively on reunification or permanency plans that keep the siblings together. Neighbor To Neighbor began in 1994 serving targeted communities in Chicago where the majority of children came into foster care. The program uses a community-based, team-oriented approach, including foster caregivers and birth parents as part of the treatment team. Trained and supported foster caregivers are key to the model's success. Neighbor To Neighbor professionalized this key role by placing these trained foster caregivers on the payroll with salaries and benefits. Foster families, birth families, and children receive comprehensive and intensive services including individualized case management, advocacy, and clinical services on a weekly basis. Mr. Johnson incorporated the Neighbor To Neighbor model in 2000 as the Neighbor To Family Sibling Foster Care Model, retaining Neighbor To Neighbor’s essential components and expanding its operating model and geographic presence beyond Illinois.

Target Population: Sibling groups of 2 or more children from infancy through seventeen years of age who are in the custody of the state. Youth who are older than 14 may be accepted if they are part of a sibling group. The program is targeted to serve children and families who are newly involved in the foster care system. If the siblings are at risk for separation and the program can meet their needs, the program will serve sibling groups of 2 or more who have re-entered the foster care system due to disrupted adoptions or who are transferred from another agency.

For children/adolescents ages: 0 – 17

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 0 – 17