A Return to ‘Normal’

2020-2021 TFFC Annual Report Overview

From the President

Welcome to a special edition of the Tidewater Friends of Foster Care Annual Report. This one is special, because it covers a year and a half of operations: we decided to sync up with our fiscal year, opting to release a single issue that covers from June 2020 to December 2021. In this issue, like always, you will find updates on programs and outcomes along with stories of inspiration that exemplify that incredible support our community offers youth in foster care. Please make sure to read the quotes in Why I Give—they are truly touching.
I am also pleased to announce that Tidewater Friends of Foster Care celebrated an important milestone in 2021: June marked the 5th anniversary of our founding. So much has changed since the beginning, when we were Norfolk Friends of Foster Care and served just a few hundred foster children.

Read the full report to learn more.

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The State of Foster Care

The shift in overall population age and to law enforcement reporting means that we need more resources overall for the kids entering care.

2019 Data for abuse and neglect reports…
23% From Educators
17% From Law Enforcement

2020 Data for abuse and neglect reports…
14.8% From Educators
22% From Law Enforcement

It is one of the core missions of TFFC to support families who have said “Yes!” to caring for youth in care like this—to help make the difficult times manageable and to ensure that no family walks alone through this journey.

Tutoring Updates

Our tutoring program serves students from Pre-K to College, including vocational studies and GED certification. We provide this service to students free of charge while in foster care and through at least one academic year after returning to their family of origin. We hire private tutors that go into the home (or instruct via virtual connections during the pandemic), so that parents are not required to provide transportation and so that children can establish a healthy studying environment at home.

Our tutors are highly-qualified, professional educators, who are contracted at market rates to guarantee that our kids are getting the best tutoring services with accountability and retention – our goal is to ensure that our tutors lend to the academic progress and stability in the lives of the children we serve.

How did our students do in the 2020-21 Academic Year?

Foster Care Aware

Just like the previous year, Foster Care Aware was a month-long Virtual Summit on foster care. This year’s twist was on how to make a difference at any capacity! We reached over 7000 people through FaceBook, YouTube and PodCast. We put out multiple calls to action that were answered by our Village members meeting the acute needs of foster youth during the month of May, including eye glasses, groceries, bedding, cribs, strollers, and much more, totaling over $1,200 in support. It was definitely a success!

Check out the entire series of interviews, panels, and lectures from 2021 on YouTube.

Our goal is to bring more people into the sphere that cares for these children and their families and support them throughout this incredibly important journey.

Beyond the Behavior Training Series

Missed the training? No problem.

In partnership with the Barry Robinson Center and the ATTACh organization, TFFC produced the Beyond the Behavior training series featuring Mary McGowan, a nationally renowned expert on Attachment and Trauma in Children. This training provided evidence-based insight for parents and professionals working with children who are struggling with behavioral issues originating from trauma.

Participants learned about adult and child attachment styles, arousal levels linked to survival mechanisms in the brain, behaviors associated with attachment difficulties and developmental trauma, as well as strategies for attachment-focused parenting and teaching.

Foster Youth Training

Pre-pandemic, this support was offered through the monthly in-person training sessions conducted by the Department of Human Services. When in-person sessions were not an options, we invested in transforming our in-person training into a digital library of training modules that can not only reach a larger segment of the teen and young adult foster care population from the comfort of their homes.

Partnering with the 'Y'

We’ve also continued our partnerships the with YMCA of South Hampton Roads and the Virginia Peninsulas to offer Y memberships to our foster youth, serving over 1000 family members across Hampton Roads. These incredible partnerships make it possible to leverage the most benefits for the youth and families we serve, helping to keep them healthy, happy, and engaged throughout the pandemic and beyond!

Gifting Projects

2019 Holiday Project Results

Another Increase from Last Year

Estimated number of holiday wishes granted

Total Birthday Wishes Granted To-Date

Developement & Investment

In Fiscal Year 2019, more than 94% of all donations go toward our service programs!

Development

Investment

Moving into 2022

We are accompanying our program growth with an investment in increasing our staff to ensure that our services remain of the highest quality. This will help maximize impact and uphold our motto of “Failure is not an option”. We are also investing in our partnerships to help leverage community support for children and families in the foster care system. Our goal is to make it easy for anyone who wants to help in any capacity to become engaged in a way that works for them. Afterall, it takes a Village to care for these children and they benefit from all aspects of involvement from people who care.

“We want to expand access to our services.”

Thank You to All of Our Sponsors & Donors

This is only the beginning…

Read the full report to learn more.

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