The goal of our Foster Care and Residential programs is to reunite children with their biological families whenever possible. Zoe* and Jackson* are siblings who, due to differing needs, were living separately – one in a foster home and one in one of our residential treatment programs. After several months of working to reunite the children, Zoe and Jackson are back together under one roof, living with a relative in a different state.

“Zoe and Jackson maintained a great bond when they were apart, but they were inseparable when they got together,” explained Amber, the children’s Case Planner. Amber’s efforts helped the children to stay connected.

She coordinated weekly visits where Zoe and Jackson would play board games, run around outside, and check in with how they were doing. “When they got to see each other every week, they always had new questions to ask each other,” said Amber. “They wanted to keep up-to-date with what was going on in their lives.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, in-person meetings became impossible. Amber organized virtual meetings for Zoe and Jackson so they would still get to visit with each other. She checked in with the kids to see how they were feeling and make sure that they were keeping up with their schoolwork. Zoe even started referring to Amber as her big sister because she said Amber was “someone that always looked out for her.”

Zoe and Jackson were able to see each other in person once again when the COVID rates decreased. Amber was proud of how well they handled the situation. She said, “When they saw each other, they would always make sure to say they loved each other.”

For Amber, the smiles on Zoe and Jackson’s faces were worth the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye when it was time for the children to leave to live with a relative. It was a long process, but bringing the siblings together made it all worthwhile. Amber described, “To know that I had a hand in helping both kids reunite with their family brings me comfort in knowing that I’m doing exactly what I came here to do.”

*Names changed for confidentiality.