Child Welfare Services Newsletter

Child Welfare Services

Winter 2022 Newsletter

WIHD’s Child Welfare Program Loses one of its Most Beloved Supporters

The Child Welfare Program lost one of its most beloved extended family members in November. Katherine Kelly, a longtime volunteer from the Pi Iota Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), passed away at the age of 80. Through Katherine’s leadership and dedication, members of the Pi Iota Omega chapter supported the children and families served by our Child Welfare program for almost ten years. Katherine was instrumental in organizing back pack and school supply donations every fall and coordinated the purchase and distribution of new winter coats for children served by Project IMPACT and the Every Family Counts Aftercare Program. A lifelong educator, Katherine retired as founder and principal of the Bronx Leadership Academy High School and continued to give back to the community through numerous activities with her fellow Sorors from AKA. Katherine was a world traveler and a beloved wife, step-mother, grandmother and friend. She will be greatly missed but her legacy of giving will continue.

Every Family Counts Program

Receives Generous Donations

The staff of the Every Family Counts program tirelessly worked to support families as the pandemic infection rates fluctuated for the second half of the year. They provided home-based counseling and support, advocacy and much-needed help with items that families need on a regular basis, such as food, clothing and school supplies. Through generous donations from the larger WIHD community as well as external donors, the staff provided pantry supplies, school supplies, coats and Christmas presents to families involved with the program. The Aftercare program supported 112 children from 65 families during the year 2021 as they exited foster care and returned to their families!

Welligent

Because of the Child Welfare Program’s many touchpoints with children and families, it was not previously possible to get an accurate count of the unique number of children and families receiving services at any point in time. It was this frustration that led us to expend considerable effort and resources to identify a better data tracking and management solution. After a full year of using Welligent, the Child Welfare Program’s stand-alone database, we are pleased to be able to share that a total of 347 children and 170 parents received services in 2021 and those children participated in close to 2,000 visits for individual, group and/or sibling therapy. Additional services included, Pediatric Medical care, Educational Coordination, psychological and psychiatric evaluations, Parent/Child Assessments, parenting skills training, Aftercare supports, Nurse Outreach contacts and intensive in-home parenting through Project IMPACT. The transition to Welligent would not have been possible without the commitment and perseverance of Dr. Trupti Rao, Karla Diaz, Joan Malara and all of the Child Welfare staff who are working very hard to adapt to the new system.

Program Endings

December 31, 2021 marked the end of several signature Child Welfare Programs and the loss of five highly valued staff from our program. Affected staff included Linda Fettmann, Lynn Burt, and Hugo Valentin from the Enhanced Foster Care and WRAP Programs, Lisa Kahn from the Department of Social Services On-line Policy and Procedure Manual and Dayhana Vasquez who provided administrative support to multiple programs.

· Linda Fettmann devoted 27 years to the Child Welfare Program and WIHD where she managed not only the Enhanced Foster Care and WRAP programs but many other important activities, including overseeing our social work intern training program, supervising dozens of social work interns, coordinating referrals for Parent/Child Assessments and leading the annual Holiday Toy Drive and Adopt-a-Family events, just to name a few. Linda worked tirelessly to build relationships with foster and adoptive parents, students and staff – many of whom returned years after their involvement in the program to express gratitude for the support and guidance Linda provided and to let her know the meaningful impact she had on their lives.

· Lynn Burt’s clinical experience and compassionate approach made her a trusted advisor to hundreds of foster parents over her 12 years with WIHD’s Enhanced Foster Care Program. The impact of Lynn’s work can be measured by the number of placement disruptions she prevented, the number of adoptions that her work enabled and the number of foster parents who remained active as well as the improved well-being of hundreds of children in foster care that were impacted by her work with foster families.

· For 13 years Hugo Valentin approached his work as a Sociotherapist in the Enhanced Foster Care Program with an unwavering commitment to the growth, social-emotional development and well-being of children. Hugo could be counted on to use every contact he had with children as an opportunity for learning. Hugo was a team player and always ready to lend a hand to a colleague or family in need.

· For 14 years, Lisa Kahn provided vision, leadership, and dedication to WIHD, the Child Welfare Program and the DSS Policy and Procedure Manual. Lisa’s commitment to excellence and collaboration with DSS and other stakeholders directly impacted the evolution of the Manual and its ultimate success. Lisa was always willing to lend her expertise to any project or initiative and was deeply committed to carrying out WIHD’s mission.

· Although Dayhana Vasquez was one of the newest members of the Child Welfare Services team, her willingness to take on any administrative task and her attention to detail were highly valued by all those who worked with her.

For 30 years the Enhanced Foster Care Program provided expert clinical support, education and respite to foster parents. Over the years, the Enhanced Foster Care Program prevented the disruption of countless placements, made possible the adoption of numerous children and provided a source of support and guidance for hundreds of foster parents in Westchester County. We heard from many, many foster parents over the years who told us how invaluable and impactful the program was to them and their ability to care for children impacted by maltreatment and trauma.

For 15 years, Westchester’s Resource for Adoption (WRAP) Program encouraged, supported and sustained adoptive families through adoption-competent clinical interventions, monthly support groups, training and other activities meant to encourage connections among adoptive parents and their children. Whether families engaged with WRAP immediately following their children’s adoption or years later, they received individualized support for whatever challenges they faced resulting in fewer disrupted adoptions and improved well-being for hundreds of children and families.

Developed in 2006 as a collaboration between the Westchester County Department of Social Services (DSS) and WIHD, the DSS On-line Policy and Procedure Manual became an essential tool to inform and guide practice at DSS with over 1,000 pages of text, forms and resources. The Manual was a one of a kind resource in the field and was recognized with the National Staff Development and Training Association’s Quality Award which was given by the American Public Human Services Association to a program that demonstrated “outstanding performance in the training and development field.”

Finally, the In-Home Assessment Program was also discontinued at the end of December. In-home Assessments looked at the “goodness of fit” between children and their foster family environment and gave WIHD clinicians a baseline assessment of a child’s developmental, social and emotional functioning and sought to provide recommendations to improve child safety and well-being.

The loss of so many dedicated and experienced staff has reverberated through the Child Welfare program, WIHD and the families who relied on them for support, guidance, expertise and their trusted and compassionate relationships. They are and will be missed.

Heartfelt Thanks

The Winter Edition of our Newsletter would not be complete without a heartfelt thank you to donors whose generosity brought joy to many children and families this past holiday season.

Once again, Kathleen Kaiser from New York Medical College organized a Holiday Toy Drive with the parishioners of the Church of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Shrub Oak, NY. The Holiday Toy Drive is one of the most highly anticipated events for the Child Welfare Program and would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of many people including Boy Scout Troop 238, sponsored by the Church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, under the leadership of Scoutmaster Brian Dever. We are grateful for the continued commitment of those involved for making this happen year after year.

This year we were also overwhelmed by the generosity of WIHD staff, board members and other supporters who participated in our annual “Adopt a Family” program and donated sacks full of gifts to families involved in the Every Family Counts Aftercare Program and Project IMPACT. This year’s donors included:

· Donna Lombardi, Sue Fox, Cindy Lopane, Tricia Patrick, Donna Reynolds, Liya Caiazzo – WIHD Administration

· Janet Longo-Abinanti, Debbie Goddard, Elizabeth Bourne - WIHD Community Support Network

· Martha Candelario and Mary Spano, Catherine McDermott-Coffin, & Marilyn Wolff Diamond - WIHD Health Services

· Speech & Hearing Department

· Board Members: Dr. Traci Gardner, Kate Funk, Monica Sganga, & Jennifer Chan

· Nancy Krzemienski - WIHD Human Resources

· Karin Carroll, WIHD Dental Services

· M Group

· Grace Ambulette

· Stephanie Goldsmith

· Anna Denisova

We received an outpouring of support this year and would also like to thank Denise Ciraldo and her colleagues at the Cappelli Organization, Courtney Berry and Jessica McGovern for their incredibly generous donations of board games, pajamas, socks, hats, mittens, diapers, wipes and personal care kits for our clients.