TULSA, Okla. — Child welfare agency ‘The Family Initiative’ marks a decade of serving families and children in Oklahoma this year.
TFI partners with the state through the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to recruit and support foster care homes in Tulsa, Lawton and Oklahoma City regions.
Angela Blanton serves as the Director of Foster Care for the state, said the organization had an innovative approach over the last ten years to meet the needs of every family that walks through their doors.
“It is a big milestone for us,” said Blanton. “You see turnover in child welfare all the time, but we have a couple of workers who have been here since the beginning, so that’s amazing that they just continue with our mission.”
Where DHS helps place the children, TFI focuses on how they can best support the family to make it the best home for a child in need. Anything from helping parents find baby formula through the recent shortage to choosing the best daycare, TFI is there to lend a hand.
“We make sure that were always putting our foster children and their families first and making sure that we think outside the box when needed to make sure their needs are met,” said Blanton. “I love to see permanency for a child so when we can be part of that, whatever that may look like, whether it be adoption or reuniting with a biological family, to me that is the important thing and that is what keeps me coming back day to day.”
In the last fiscal year, TFI Oklahoma:
- served 408 children
- reunited 67 kids with their biological family
- saw 40 children get adopted
According to TFI, there are approximately 8,000 children in foster care in the state of Oklahoma.
Blanton said it is all about the children, and her hope is the agency can continue to grow so they can reach more young people in need. Since the pandemic, there has been a noticeable decline in the amount of foster homes in the area.
While those safe environments are imperative, Blanton said there is more than one way to support TFI’s mission.
“I just think it’s important for people to realize that even though somebody may not be able to foster a child, there’s other things that people can do to help,” said Blanton. “We look for volunteers sometimes that help with certain things, so just because somebody may not be able to foster, they can still reach out to our agency and see what other needs there might be.”
Those interested in opening their home up to foster children can reach out to TFI at 833-7FOSTER or through the agencies website.
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