When was Baptist Family & Children’s Services founded?
1920. is exceptionally proud of its 90-year-long record of service to kids and families in need of a new start.
What is the agency’s mission?
Baptist Family is committed to fulfilling its mission to give children, the elderly, individuals, and families in crisis a new start. The agency’s mission is to plan, develop, implement, and promote services that encourage the physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of those whom we serve.
The agency is equipped to serve people in Maryland, Delaware, Southern Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It is currently active in Western and Central Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and Southern Delaware.
What is Treatment Foster Care?
Treatment Foster Care (TFC) is one of the State of Maryland’s many approaches to addressing the problems of child abuse and neglect.
TFC is a level of care reserved for children who have been removed from their biological families by one of Maryland’s Departments of Social Service. It is distinct from what one might call “regular” foster care in that the children assigned to TFC demonstrate significant emotional, psychological, behavioral, and/or health challenges.
Success in TFC depends on a partnership among the referring Department of Social Service (each county in Maryland has its own DSS), the professional social workers at the TFC program, the parents who shelter and nurture the child in their home, and the foster child.
What kinds of kids do you serve in CHOSEN?
CHOSEN serves kids from birth through age 18. Generally, Most CHOSEN referrals come from counties in Central Maryland, with Baltimore City and Prince George’s County referring the most children in FY10. Also in FY10, 64% of referred children were African-American, 23% Caucasian, 7% Hispanic, and 6% biracial or other races.
What are Case Management Services?
Case Management Services utilize time-tested social work techniques to help an individual or family overcome a crisis. Staff work with clients to assess strengths and weaknesses, create a road map for success, and work toward stability and independence. Where possible, the agency applies a “wraparound” approach, enlisting the client’s neighbors, family members, and other volunteers to support the client as they work to build a solid foundation for the rest of their life.
How much of my donation goes toward fundraising and overhead expenses?
Very little. The organization’s total annual administrative percentage is 11.4%. This figure is calculated by referring to our IRS form 990, adding our fundraising expenses and management/general expenses and dividing the result by our total expenses.
Besides donations, how is Baptist Family funded?
Baptist Family is funded by private giving and a contract with Maryland’s Department of Human Resources (to provide Treatment Foster Care services). Typically, this contract provides 80-90% of the agency’s annual revenue. In FY10, this amounted to $2,432,527.
PRAYER REQUESTS
…for devastating events that have occurred within a few of our CHOSEN families: for the mother of a foster mom had a stroke late last month; for a foster mom whose brother was struck by a car and passed away earlier this month – the 4th family member she has lost in a year – as well as the unexpected removal of her foster youth at the child’s request; for a foster dad whose brother passed away suddenly; and another foster dad who lost his half-brother a couple days after being rushed to the ER.
…for an elderly GSN client who will undergo a kidney procedure, we ask a quick recovery and for her fears about the hospital to be dispelled.
…for an 11-year-old foster child whose biological mother has been inconsistent in her contact with him, leading him to exhibit tantrum behaviors, and for his foster mom as she offers support and care to help him deal with it.
…for a teenage CHOSEN girl who continues to leave home without permission for extended periods. This is compromising her safety and may require that she be placed in a higher level of care.
…for another teenage CHOSEN girl who has left home without permission and has not returned.
…for a former GSN and volunteer family who completed their housing program without success and had to leave with few alternatives. Please remember their 2 high school age children who may be sent to shelters.
…for the husband of a former staff member who has stage II pancreatic cancer and will begin chemotherapy on February 25.
…for the quick recovery of a 3-month-old infant boy who had surgery.
…for a foster mom who is considering whether to take in a difficult placement that was referred to us.
Answered Prayers!
Note: Names have been changed, where necessary, to protect the identities of our kids and families.
We are so thankful for the prayer warriors who have partnered with us! We see His answers every day.
Regarding our prayer for new families to step forward, we had 6 families graduate from CHOSEN pre-service training last month, and 2 families expressed interest in becoming Safe host families after hearing our presentation at Calvary Baptist Church in Bel Air.
We are grateful for a woman who responded to our last Prayer Gram and donated 2 boxes of diapers.
Many thanks to the two who responded to the need of a Safe Families host family who was struggling to pay for car repairs. One of the donors was also a Safe Families host family.
Learn More!
CHOSEN TFC
The Good Samaritan Network
Safe Families for Children