“It is very encouraging to see a strong community partner like City Ministries Child Placement Agency step up to get licensed and partner with the King County and DCYF to meet this very critical need-providing safe, nurturing homes for children in crisis.”
Kristy & Ernesto
Foster parenting has brought joy and fulfillment to our family. The children we have had in our home have blessed us and in turn I pray we have been a blessing to them. One of the most unexpected benefits of fostering has been what our children have received. They have learned to be compassionate, kind and loving to children from all walks of life. We have found that being a foster family is a way that we can be God’s hands and feet in a practical way.
Kennesha & Larry
As a respite care family, we are able to provide a reprieve to full time foster parents when they need a break. There is significant impact on the collective perspective of our entire family when we serve the community together in this way. We also find tremendous satisfaction in seeing children find a place in our family’s culture in such short periods of time.
Michelle
I am blessed to be a respite care provider for the foster children, which means I have the children for a 48-hour time span once a month. My two daughters and I have hosted children as young as 9 months to 13 years of age; we’ve enjoyed some of these children only for 1 month and some for 2 years once a month. These weekends soon became the highlight of our month much like having extended family coming for an overnight visit but only better because seeing the children once per month we are witness to Jesus’ healing and transformation in these children their lives and their hope restored that Jesus has a future for them as He holds them in the palm of His hand.
Nicole & Brian
It’s not always easy, but we wouldn’t trade the fostering experience for anything. Seeing growth and positive change in the children that come into our home is rewarding. Their resilience and spirit is inspiring! And as we have welcomed these kids in their time of need, our family has grown and been blessed in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.
Kate & Igor
Being aware of the need on the local scale, our family said yes to fostering. We welcomed children into our home providing them with a safe and stable environment. Just being there for them on a daily basis means the world to them. Many other foster parents would agree that fostering is a challenging journey but nevertheless a rewarding one. A foster parent’s reward can be as big as having a child move up a reading level or as simple as a hug. In our family we say that we only have good days and hard days, there are no bad days. Fostering affected us in ways we never expected. We thought that we would be the ones teaching our foster children when in reality we learn more than teach. Through fostering God is teaching us to be more patient, more forgiving and more accepting. God proved to us that when we answer His call, He is there to support and carry us through. While our primary focus is now on fostering, He provides and sends enormous blessing and prosperity in all the other aspects of our life. He is good and all glory goes to Him
CASE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT WITH CMCPA
City Ministries CPA is a faith based private agency that is able to provide one-on-one extensive case management for all of our foster families. Case managers are the first point of contact for state social workers or anyone affiliated with the case. We provide wraparound services for all foster families and children in our care to ensure the safety, longevity, and well-being of our foster parents.
These services include but are not limited to:
FOSTERING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Foster Parents Must:
After the Licensing Process, Your Home Should at Least:
Document:
You can make an incredible difference in the lives of vulnerable children in our community by volunteering your time and skills. CMCPA offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for you to choose from and we would love to have you join our volunteer team! If you are interested in volunteering with us please e-mail info@citymin.org. You must be 21 years old to volunteer.
We are currently looking for volunteers in the following areas:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10
STEPS TO VOLUNTEER:
City Ministries CPA is partnering with Olive Crest’s Host Families program to support families in crisis in our local community. The goal of this program is to keep children safe and families intact by having children at risk temporarily placed into safe, loving, and stable homes while their family receives resources and support to help them reach a place of stability to have children return to their care.
How it works:
Parents experiencing hardships and crisis can voluntarily ask for their child (age 0-18) to be placed in a host family while they address the issues that led them to the point of crisis (such as job loss, sudden health needs, and substance abuse.)
Children are placed in a host family local to them for a typical time frame of one day to three months. During this time in out of home care, biological families are encouraged to remain actively involved in the child’s life and build a positive relationship with the host family. Once the child’s family is in a healthy and stable place their children reunite with them.
Participating in this program is a great way to support vulnerable children and struggling families and play a role in preventing children from entering the foster care system.
If you are interested in learning more about Host Families, please reach out to us at info@citymin.org. We would love to provide you more information about this program!
Internship Program
City Ministries CPA offers internships for current college students who are passionate about our mission and are interested in gaining experience at a nonprofit organization.
CPA interns will work with the CPA team and gain experience in the following areas:
This is an unpaid internship that can be completed for academic credit if allowed and/or approved by the applicant’s college or university.
Please apply by e-mailing your cover letter and resume to CPA director Christie at christie@citymin.org
Permanency planning is exploring all the child’s possible long-term options and the state and court system deciding which of those options are in the best interest of the child. These options include guardianship, foster care, kinship , adoption, or reunification – reunification being the highest priority.
Guardianship is when the court appoints someone to care for a minor. However, the child’s biological parents hold the right to terminate guardianship at any time. Guardianship will also terminate at the time that a child turns 18.
Foster care is when a licensed caregiver provides for a child under the supervision of the state. Placements can be temporary; however, it may proceed to adoption if that is decided to be the best option for the child. When a child in care is adopted, the parental rights of the biological parents are relinquished or terminated, and the caregiver is given those rights as decided by the court.
Kinship care is when a relative or suitable others are licensed to care for a child under the supervision of the state. Kinship care is a favorable option for the child as it maintains cultural and relational permanency, making it easier for a child to adjust to the changes experienced. As with foster care, kinship care also has the potential to proceed to adoption.
Reunification is when the biological parents have received the support and maintained a level of stability needed to have the child return home safely. If possible, this is the most favorable of options as it maintains the family unit and causes the least disruption for the child.