Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services
About This Program
Target Population: Adoptive or Subsidized Guardianship families having children in the home under age 18, who have experienced abuse and neglect in their birth homes; these children generally have Reactive Attachment Disorder as well as a multitude of other mental health issues
Program Overview
Keeping the Promise is provided by The Baby Fold, not-for-profit organization affiliated with The United Methodist Church and is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Keeping the Promise is a program available to any family with a child under 18 years of age who is presenting a special challenge and joined the family through adoption or subsidized guardianship. Keeping the Promise provides mental health counseling and support to adoptive/guardianship families residing within over 20 counties in Central Illinois. In-home therapy services are provided to families on an approximately weekly basis. The program also offers weekend camp services to children ages 6-14. Camp is staffed with teacher/therapists from Baby Fold's school for children with behavioral, emotional, learning, and autism spectrum disorders. Support groups and therapy are also provided as client groups/needs are identified as well as psychoeducation classes such as Trust-Based Relational Intervention classes for parents. Often when families seek services they are contemplating dissolving their adoption or guardianship. Services are intended to provide support to keep the family intact.
Program Goals
The primary goal of Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services is:
- Keep adopted families intact
Logic Model
The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services.
Essential Components
The essential components of Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services include:
- In-home individual and family therapy
- Respite weekend camp
- Support groups for parents, children, and teenagers or "Family Fun Night" activities
- Advocacy with schools and other community resources like child care, medical, educational, and psychological services
- 24-hour crisis counseling
- Resource library for families and professionals
- Referral services
- Parent training focused on developing a therapeutic parenting style, using the Trust-Based Relational Intervention parenting program when working with attachment disordered children
Program Delivery
Child/Adolescent Services
Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:
- Reactive attachment dsorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, sensory integration problems, and/or autism spectrum disorders
Parent/Caregiver Services
Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:
- Parenting an adopted child with history of abuse or neglect
Recommended Intensity:
From 1-3 hours per week, depending on the needs of the family
Recommended Duration:
Up to 1 year, though sometimes the service period is shorter; if longer than a year, extensions from Illinois DCFS at 4-month intervals up to 2 years required
Delivery Setting
This program is typically conducted in a(n):
- Adoptive Home
Homework
Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services includes a homework component:
Literature, audio CDs, DVDs, Theraplay activities, journaling assignments, etc., to be completed between sessions and with follow-up at next session
Resources Needed to Run Program
The typical resources for implementing the program are:
- Offices in a central location, equipped with computers & phones
- Occasional available meeting space at the agency (most sessions in client's home)
Manuals and Training
Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications
Master's Degree in Psychology, Social Work, or related field plus 2 years post-graduate experience
Manual Information
There is not a manual that describes how to deliver this program.
Training Information
There is training available for this program.
Training Contacts:
- Jeanne Howard, Social Work Professor Emeritus
jhoward@IllinoisState.edu
phone: (309) 438-8075 - Kathleen Bush, Associate Director of Clinical Services
The Baby Fold
kbush@thebabyfold.org
phone: (309) 557-1066
Training Type/Location:
Informal consultation with training materials available from the Illinois State University Center for Adoption Studies
Number of days/hours:
Varies with program
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research
Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Keeping the Promise Adoption/Subsidized Guardian Preservation Services.
Additional References
Zosky, D. L., Howard, J. A., Smith, S. L., Howard, A. M., & Shelvin, K. H. (2005). Investing in adoptive families: What adoptive families tell us regarding the benefits of adoption preservation services. Adoption Quarterly, 8(3), 1-23.
Contact Information
- Kathleen Bush, LCPC
- Agency/Affiliation: The Baby Fold
- Website: www.thebabyfold.org/what-we-do/family-community-services/adoption-preservation
- Email: kbush@thebabyfold.org
- Phone: (309) 557-1066
- Fax: (309) 454-9257
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: February 2015
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: June 2019
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: February 2009