Consistency is Key in Search for Legal Permanency: National Hospitality Week Aims to Help
But with some studies showing the rate of annual turnover in child welfare nearing 40%, consistency on a child’s case team can be rare.
In the child welfare system, caseworkers are critical first responders, providing both safety for children and ongoing work to move them to permanent and loving homes.
With the often-difficult nature of this work, we must do everything we can to support a child’s team, and there are many ways you can help.
National Hospitality Week is a nationwide initiative that was created to bring together individuals, organizations and communities to recognize and honor child welfare professionals for their dedication. Celebrated annually during the second week of October, this collaborative effort aims to elevate the visibility of child welfare professionals and ensure they feel seen, known and valued in the communities they serve.
Research shows the chances of achieving permanency drop by 57% when there is a caseworker change.2 That’s why the Foundation is urgently working to expand its Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) program. WWK recruiters serve as an additional member of a child’s team, staying with a youth until finalization, even if they move jurisdictions.
Visit nationalhospitalityweek.com to find ideas to make a difference. Contact your local child welfare or human services office and offer to host a lunch, send gift cards, bring balloons to the office or any other kind gesture you can think of.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption simply couldn’t do the work we do in finding permanent families for the longest-waiting children in foster care without committed caseworkers.
Please, join the movement in October and year-round to honor the child welfare professionals in your community. A small act of kindness can go a long way.
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