Catholic Charities Hawaii seeks therapeutic foster parents

Have you ever wanted to help out those in need, but didn’t know what you could do or how to get started? Catholic Charities Hawaii has just such an opportunity. CCH is looking for nurturing, dedicated families who are interested in making a difference in a child’s life by becoming therapeutic foster parents.

Many youth have benefited from therapeutic foster care. One example is that of “Charlie,” whose name has been changed to protect privacy, a smart, artistic boy who was placed in a CCH Na Ohana Pulama therapeutic foster home at the age of 16.

Charlie lived with his biological parents on Kauai until age 9, when he was then removed from the home because his parents physically abused him and he would often not have enough to eat. He bounced around to various foster and group homes, but never stayed in any one place for longer than a few months, since he had behavioral problems – he was defiant at home and school, refused to obey rules and often cut class.

Charlie was eventually placed with NOP foster parents – called “Professional Parents” – on Oahu. The foster family was a good match for Charlie. They shared the same culture and they enjoyed doing the same activities on the weekends, such as going to the beach. Charlie bonded with the family immediately, which helped him want to do well in the home.

He continued to struggle, however, running away three times, getting into fights at school and being suspended. His foster family did not give up, and after awhile he improved. He stopped cutting class and his grades began to improve. At 17, he got a job at a local fast food restaurant, which helped him learn important independent living skills. Charlie left the NOP program at age 18 and joined the military, but he stays in touch with his former foster family, the people who helped him so much.

There are many others just like Charlie who need the support, structure and dedication to succeed in life. Foster parenting is both challenging and highly rewarding, and foster families are a crucial part of Hawaii’s system of care that helps children in need.

Catholic Charities Hawaii is a nonprofit social services agency founded in 1947 by a small group of Maryknoll nuns who saw the need for services in Hawaii after World War II. Today, Catholic Charities helps people throughout the state, regardless of their faith or background, including foster children, those who can’t afford their rent, immigrants and the elderly. The agency has four core values: Dignity, Compassion, Commitment to Excellence, and Social Justice.

Catholic Charities Hawaii began the Na Ohana Pulama program, which focuses on improving the lives of children in need by means of foster care, in 1986. Funded by the Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, the program places youth from around the state in foster homes on Oahu and the Big Island.

NOP therapeutic foster homes provide the structured and nurturing family atmosphere that foster youth need to excel at home, in school and in the community, using individual and family therapy, the Teaching-Family model and Trauma-Informed Care. Youth entering the program are usually pre-teens and teenagers from a variety of backgrounds. Unfortunately, many have suffered from abuse and neglect.

Foster families in the NOP program must have two foster parents. Though it is preferable that one of the parents does not work outside the home, this can be allowed if they have flexible schedules. Initial and on-going training is provided, as well as 24/7 consultant support. For more information about becoming foster parents, contact: Valerie Catz, Oahu intake coordinator, (808) 527-4941 or valerie.catz@catholiccharitieshawaii.org; Tricia Solimeo, Hilo intake coordinator, (808) 961-7016 or tricia.solimeo@catholiccharitieshawaii.org; or Amy Davis, Kona trainer and parent consultant, (808) 327-2724 or davisa@catholiccharitieshawaii.org.