In cooperation with Missouri Department of Social Services- Children’s Division, Bringing Families Together provides contracted foster care case management services to families whose children have been placed in the foster care system. These children have been placed in the custody of the State of Missouri by the Family Court due to issues of abuse and/or neglect. A Family Service Worker (FSW) is assigned to each case. The FSW:

¿ Serves no more than 20 children at a time on a caseload

¿ Links families to resources in their communities

¿ Oversees the family’s progress towards reunification by monitoring and adjusting services

¿ Monitors each child’s safety and stability in the foster placement

¿ Provides information and recommendations to the Family Court in legal proceedings

The smaller caseloads allow our workers to attend to the individual needs of each family more closely and to provide services in a timelier manner.

In conjunction with the Family Support Team, our FSWs develop and implement a service plan to aid the family in reunification, which is always the primary goal. The Family Support Team consists of:

¿ Birth family

¿ FSW

¿ Foster family

¿ Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/ Guardian Ad Litem (GAL)

¿ Therapists and other service providers

¿ Any other individual who can lend support to the family in the process of reunification

The service plan details the family’s strengths and supports as well as determining what appropriate resources are available in the family’s community that will build on the family’s strengths and help them become successful.

Sometimes, reunification is not possible. Our FSWs play active roles in recruiting adoptive families for children who cannot return home.

There is a great need for families willing to be permanent resources for children whose families are unable to reunify. If you are interested in becoming a permanent resource for a child in need, please contact Bringing Families Together for more information.