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Foster and adoptive parents are special people -- they open their hearts and homes to children in need of safety, love and nurturing. Assistance is available to provide support services to children and their families to ensure they can furnish a safe place for children to live.
Hillsborough Kids, Inc.
www.hillsboroughkids.org
813-643-KIDS (5437)
Hillsborough Kids, Inc. (HKI) is a non-profit agency created out of a community planning process specifically to perform the duties of the Lead Agency for Community-Based Care in Hillsborough County including providing comprehensive services for families and recruitment and licensing of foster and adoptive families.
Children's Board Heart Gallery Tampa Bay
www.heartgallerytb.org
813-204-1792
The Children's Board Heart Gallery is a unique recruitment tool for adoptive families. The professional photographic exhibit travels Hillsborough County and brings our community closer to the faces and voices of foster children waiting for families.
Children's Board of Hillsborough County
www.childrensboard.org
The Children's Board was established in 1989 with a mission of improving the lives of children and families in Hillsborough County by concentrating on children's services aimed at prevention and early detection services. Over 200 agencies and programs are funded by the Children's Board including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Child Abuse Council, Healthy Start Coalition and the United Way.
Hillsborough County Foster Parent Association
www.hcfpa.org
Suncoast Foster Parent Association
www.wefosterlove.org
Suncoast Foster Parent Association Inc., (SFPA), was created to bring together foster/shelter parents, agency personnel, and community leaders as interested parties advocating for the general welfare of children and foster parents in Florida's System-of-Care. Founded upon the mission of providing a vehicle by which foster/adoptive/relative caregivers receive continuing educational trainings, the SFPA engages volunteers and professionals in the child welfare system in advocating for the rights of the members and the children they are licensed to care for in their homes, and in their communities.
Sylvia Thomas Center for Adoptive and Foster Families
www.sylviathomascenter.org
The mission of The Sylvia Thomas Center is to promote permanency by providing comprehensive supports to adoptive and foster families. The Sylvia Thomas Center is here to provide support, and intensive case management to adoptive families who may be facing challenges as a result of the adoption process or behavior problems with an adopted child. We also have monthly adoption support group meetings, trainings for adoptive and foster parents, as well as professionals, fellowship among adoptive and foster parents, community resources, a resource lending library, and most importantly, a safe haven for adoptive and foster families.
Families First of Florida
www.familiesfirstfl.com
Families First of Florida, L.L.C. is a state licensed child-placing agency that offers an alternative approach to the care of children and adolescents in foster care with moderate to severe behavioral management problems. The program's goal is to stabilize the child within a community setting so that the permanency goal of long-term foster care; adoption or reunification can be achieved.
Connected by 25
www.cby25.org
Connected by 25 is a community initiative that engages youth, public/private partners and policy makers to improve outcomes for foster youth through investments in services and programs. The mission of Connected by 25 is to ensure that foster care youth are educated, housed, banked, employed and connected to a support system by age 25.
2-1-1 Referral Services
www.211atyourfingertips.org
2-1-1 Tampa Bay began in the early 1970's as a grass roots, volunteer-driven, crisis hotline and was incorporated into the newly established Hillsborough County Crisis Center in 1978. 211 Tampa Bay coordinates an extensive range of services, including Suicide and Crisis Hotline, Rape Counselors, Substance Abuse and Homelessness Hotlines among other community links.
Hillsborough County Department of Children's Services
www.hillsboroughcounty.org/childrensservices
A wide range of residential and non-residential services are available for children and parents. For emotionally handicapped youth, there are day treatment and residential care services designed to modify the behavior of emotionally dysfunctional children. For runaway and ungovernable children and their families, there are counseling services to reunite families and prevent runaway behavior, as well as short-term residential respite and shelter. Emergency shelter care is available for dependent, abused, or neglected children. For long-term foster care of adolescent females, there is a pre-independent living group home program. There are also training classes for parents to improve parenting skills.
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Every child and teen needs love, support and guidance to thrive and become well-adjusted, socially responsible, self-sufficient, stable adults.
Heart Gallery of Florida
www.heartgalleryflorida.org
In collaboration with the Governor's Explore Adoption campaign, all Heart Galleries from around the state participated in a collaborative exhibit to provide much needed exposure to the issue of adoption. Collectively, this exhibit brings the faces and voices of thousands of waiting children into the hearts and homes of Florida citizens. The Heart Galleries across Florida provide public awareness of the need for adoptive families and more importantly help find permanent families for individual children. Florida is proud to lead the nation in the development of new Heart Galleries accounting for unprecedented successes achieved in finding loving homes for our children in foster care.
Department of Children and Families
www.state.fl.us/cf_web
The mission of the DCF is to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency. This site provides online links to services, special initiatives and hotline numbers.
One Church, One Child of Florida
www.ococfl.org
One Church, One Child recruits families for all children in foster care. The basic philosophy of the statewide program is to "Find at least one family per church to adopt at least one child". One Church, One Child is an inclusive adoption program working with families across all racial and denominational lines.
Florida State Foster and Adoptive Parent Association
www.charityadvantage.com/fsfapa
The mission of the Florida State Foster and Adoptive Parent Association is to provide supportive services to all caregiver (foster, adoptive, non-relative & kinship) associations in the State of Florida; to bring about better communication to families through support, training and advocacy with the aim of nurturing children's safety, well-being and stability.
Florida Kinship Center
www.flkin.org
The Florida Kinship Center provides services for Floridian's grandparents and other relatives who raise children whose parents are unable to do so. Services include emotional support, education, information and referral, advocacy, training and research.
Explore Adoption
www.adoptflorida.org
Governor Charlie Crist's statewide adoption initiative aimed at promoting the benefits of public adoption and urging families to consider creating or expanding their families by adopting a child who is older, disabled or part of a sibling group.
Florida's Center for Advancement of Child Welfare Practice
centerforchildwelfare.fmhi.usf.edu/kb/default.aspx
The purpose of the Knowledge Library is to support and guide practice within all the different areas of child welfare. Users will find information on current law, statute, administrative code, policy, published best practice, training materials, SOC development, program implementation, Florida and national resources, links, etc. The Center has gathered and posted this information in a way that is easy to use, searchable by keywords, and accessible 24 hours a day from any computer with internet access.
Heart Gallery of America
www.heartgalleryofamerica.org
The Heart Gallery of America is a collaborative project of over 120 Heart Galleries across the United States (and growing) designed to increase the number of adoptive families for children needing homes in our community. Now, in its eighth year, The Heart Gallery model is being replicated in many communities across the country.
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
www.davethomasfoundation.org
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children waiting in North America's foster care systems. Created by Wendy's founder, Dave Thomas, who was adopted as a child, the Foundation works to fulfill its mission by implementing result-driven national signature programs, awareness initiatives and advocacy efforts.
North American Council on Adoptable Children
www.nacac.org
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) promotes and supports permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. and Canada who have been in care--especially those in foster care and those with special needs. NACAC focuses its program services in four areas: public policy advocacy, parent leadership capacity building, education and information sharing, and adoption support.
Adopt Us Kids
www.adoptuskids.org
The mission of AdoptUsKids is to recruit and connect foster and adoptive families with waiting children throughout the United States. Adopt Us Kids allows prospective adoptive parents to view some of the thousands of children who are available for adoption in the United States; it connects prospective parents to case workers responsible for children on the site and provides basic information on adoption and foster parenting.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
www.childwelfare.gov/index.cfm
Child Welfare Information Gateway promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by connecting child welfare, adoption and related professionals as well as concerned citizens to timely, essential information. As a service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, access is provided to print and electronic publications, websites, and online databases covering a wide range of topics from prevention to permanency, including child welfare, child abuse and neglect, adoption, search and reunion, and more.
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