The Child Welfare Research Project
Current Projects
Fostering Futures
Fostering Futures is a 12-week psychosocial intervention that teaches specialized
parenting skills to Monroe County foster parents. The primary objectives of Fostering
Futures are to improve child behavior; reduce parenting stress; and increase specialized
parenting skills. Foster parents throughout Monroe County are recruited to participate
in this study. The intervention is led by a child psychologist and one foster
parent mentor, both whom have been specially trained to support foster parents.
The feedback from those participants who have partaken in this intervention in Monroe
County has been overwhelmingly positive. The foster parents involved feel as
though the Fostering Futures program has truly helped them to improve their relationships
with their foster children and has also increased their satisfaction with their roles
as foster parents.
Monroe Country Children's Center
The Children’s Center is located at the Monroe County Court house at the Hall
of Justice. The Children’s Center is a drop-off daycare center that provides
a fun and secure area for children to stay while their parents are involved in court
proceedings. The Children’s Center also provides outreach through developmental
screening so that they can help connect families to necessary resources to support
healthy development. The Children’s Center serves as a model program for
the State of New York as it assists and interacts with families who are in need of
these resources.
Benefits for Families
- No Cost child care for families attending court
- Outreach services to vulnerable children and families
- Regular provision of books and supplies to children and families
- Annual Family Health Fair for struggling families who attend court
- 2007 plans to include a well child check
- 2500 children served per year
Babies Can't Wait
Babies Can’t Wait is an Initiative of the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice
for Children. This New York State program is designed to train court and
social services about the needs of young children in foster care. Monthly gatherings
are held at the court bringing together young people and court professionals in a conversation
around the pertinent issues. A live video feed is also broadcast to other courtrooms
in the county. Teens Won't Wait is another branch of the project.
