Neighbor To Family, Inc.

Neighbor To Family logo

Neighbor To Family, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit foster care organization focused on keeping siblings together. Neighbor To Family is based in Daytona Beach, Florida and was founded in 1998 by Gordon Johnson, M.Ed., LLD who serves as its President and CEO.

Program sites include:

Duvall, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Putnam, and Volusia counties in Florida;
Greater Atlanta area, Chatham County and Richmond County in Georgia;
Baltimore, Maryland; and
Charleston County, South Carolina.

History

In the 1980s, Johnson headed the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for seven years and repeatedly saw children being removed from their homes and their parents, and then further traumitized by being torn from their brothers and sisters when placed in foster homes. Even today, most foster homes are unable to accommodate sibling groups, especially three or more children.

Johnson became convinced that the separation of siblings reduced the likelihood of reunification with parents, impaired a child's ability to bond with adoptive parents, and increased the need for treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders.

There are more than 500,000 children in foster care in the United States at any given time. Studies indicate between 65% and 85% of children in foster care have at least one sibling; only an estimated 25% of these children are placed with all their siblings.

Sibling Foster Care

Johnson left DCFS in 1990 to become President of the Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago. There, in 1994, a sibling foster care program was developed called, Neighbor To Neighbor, with attracted national attention in child welfare circles. In 1998, Florida child welfare officials invited Johnson to bring the program to Daytona Beach, and legislation authored by State Representative Evelyn J. Lynn mandated a sibling foster care program and initial funding from the state's Department of Children and Families.

Components of Neighbor To Family:

Sibling groups are placed together in a single foster home;
Birth parents are supported while being held accountable for their children;
The role of foster caregivers is more professionalized, with an enhanced room and board rate, benefits, extensive training and 24/7 staff support;
Involving, and being accountable to, funding agencies;
Planning for reunification or permanency is a team effort involving the parents, foster caregivers, staff, family, friends and the community.

Special emphasis is given to achieving permanency goals for children within 12 months of placement. While the national average for length of stay in foster care is 27.2 months, Neighbor To Family’s average is 8.6 months (U.S. Children’s Bureau, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS); NTF Performance and Outcome Measurements Summary, Quarterly Report, First Quarter FY 2012-13).

An independent evaluation of Neighbor To Family by The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida reported:

100% of sibling groups remained together while in NTF placement
94% of children served were in compliance with the age appropriate immunizations
91% of the children served made progress towards developmental milestones
100% of the children increased self-esteem as measured by pre/post testing
79% of the children increased academic performance
67% of the children increased their social skills
99% of the children placed in foster care did not experience any verified or indication of maltreatment during services
92% of the children served have no verified or indication of child maltreatment within 12 months post-program services

Expanded Role of Foster Caregivers

Neighbor To Family foster caregivers receive an enhanced room and board rate, plus access to health care and other benefits. This ensures they will be ready and available to meet the needs of sibling groups coming into foster care.

NTF foster caregivers are required to make regular reports on the progress of their children and their relationship with birth parents, to do outreach and mentoring for birth parents, to help coordinate therapy and medical care for children and to be an integral part of the therapeutic team that is making decisions about the future of the children.

As a professional members of the team, foster caregivers have access to training and support services to assist in their care for sibling groups.

Recognition of Sibling Foster Care

The importance of keeping siblings together when placed in foster care received more national exposure in 2006, when the Alliance for Children and Families honored Johnson's work with Neighbor To Family with the Samuel Gerson Nordlinger Child Welfare Leadership Award at its national conference. The award recognizes contributions to the field of child welfare and national public policy to advance the quality of services for children and families.

In 2007, The Second Annual Purpose Prize, awarded by Encore.org of San Francisco, recognized Johnson as one of five top innovators over the age of 60, “For developing programs to prevent the separation of siblings in foster care.”

Mission Statement

Revolutionize foster care by keeping siblings together while building healthier families and stronger communities.