A role for everyone
About 3 years ago, my husband and I heard about Safe Families for Children at our church in Dayton, Ohio. It was new to our area and had not yet been launched. We had also recently attended an info meeting to become foster parents, so helping vulnerable children had been on our radar. However, when we heard about Safe Families, we were intrigued with the concept of showing Biblical hospitality and being able to become family-like support not only for the child but also for the parent. We liked the idea of supporting families in crisis before the State would need to intervene. Also, as a family with 2 young boys, we saw it as an opportunity for our family to live on mission together. We could simply open our home and live life with those struggling around us.
One of the things that I appreciate about Safe Families is that there are so many ways to be involved. At my very first Safe Families info meeting, I remember being surprised at just how many roles were listed. There were roles with varying levels of commitment, which allowed a spot for everyone from any season of life. And one could choose to serve in multiple roles or just one.
Over the next few weeks, I would like to highlight a few of these different roles so you can see practically how they have been lived out. The next couple of posts will highlight the role of the Host Family, followed by posts highlighting other supportive roles within Safe Families like Family Coach, Family Friend, and Resource Friend. These roles are the ones that are more visible and have the most interaction with the Referring Family. The other roles are more behind-the-scenes but are also very important. Before we jump in, however, I would like to briefly describe each of these roles.
Host Family:
Welcome children into your home on a short-term basis (days, weeks, months) and show them Jesus.
Establish regular contact with parents during hosting, including phone calls and visits.
Family Coach:
Serve as a liaison between the Host Family and the Referring Parent during the hosting.
Visit Host Family within the first 48 hours to ensure the safety of the child(ren) and well-being of the Host Family. Make additional visits during hosting depending on the length of hosting.
Support/mentor the referring parent and show them Jesus.
Family Friend:
Family Friend for Referring Parent: Provide additional support through mentoring, transportation, life skills, etc.
Family Friend for Host Family: Provide respite, babysitting, meals, etc. to Host Families.
Resource Friend:
Assist Host Families and Families in Crisis with goods and services they may need.
Goods could include cribs, clothing, strollers, etc. Services could be daycare, mechanical work, etc.
Launch/Leadership Team:
Plan, organize and implement Safe Families in the local community.
Recruits volunteers and shares the vision and mission of Safe Families within the community.
Ministry Lead and Church Leadership Team:
Provide leadership at your local church, sharing the vision and recruiting volunteers for Safe Families.
Some churches have one point-person (ministry lead), and others have a ministry leader with a team.
Advisory Board:
Serve as an ambassador for the mission of Safe Families
Advise Launch/Leadership Team on planning and organization.
Prayer Support:
Pray for Safe Families ministry
Intercede for Host Families, children, parents, and Family Coaches during hosting.