March 13, 2020
Dear Friends,
The safety and health of our community is of utmost importance to us, including the children, youth and families who receive services from FosterAdopt Connect, and our amazing staff and volunteers.
I am in touch with you today to let you know that we are taking the concerns associated with the Corona Virus (COVID-19) very seriously and are taking steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
As of today we remain open for business, however we anticipate needing to move to a Work from Home status in the near future. We are following the recommendations of the CDC and health authorities in Missouri and Kansas. We are referring our clients to Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, as well as the CDC’s web page for the most current accurate information on the virus.
I want to assure each of you that FosterAdopt Connect will remain ‘open’ for business even when we are providing that support from our homes, rather than in one of our five Resource Centers. We will continue to respond to your calls to our office or cell numbers, your emails and your texts for assistance and support. We are currently planning for how to help those folks who may need extra assistance because of financial, childcare, and other stressors or health concerns that may occur during this pandemic.
However, some services will have to look different out of necessity in order to slow or prevent the transmission of the virus. For example, in person trainings or meetings will be postponed or provided virtually (online). Our home visits and in-person individual meetings may be altered to some extent. Our Behavioral Interventionist Program may experience some challenges if/when families or staff members are exposed to folks who are ill, or become ill themselves. And our Sammy’s Window programs will respond differently to pressing needs on a case by case basis. We will ask for your patience with these things as we attempt to best address the issues that arise.
Just like all of you, we are doing our best to plan for this eventuality practically and thoughtfully, and without panic. We recognize that this is a serious issue, and that the ongoing challenges of our child welfare system and the kids and families involved with it will not take a break because there are hard things happening in the world right now. So we remain firmly committed to walking with you through the journey that is foster care and adoption, even as we all cope with COVID-19.
Please feel free to reach out to me, via email to lori@fosteradopt.org, if you have any difficulty at all over the next few weeks in terms of accessing a service or support that you need. I will personally respond to each situation promptly.
Thanks for putting your trust in FosterAdopt Connect. We’ll be back in touch with further information as things change.
Sincerely,
Lori Ross
President and CEO