Safe Families

Why do we wait until bad things happen to children before we help? Child welfare systems are designed to react after something bad happens to a child. Such interventions are necessary and critically important in cases of abuse and neglect (see crossroads.net/fostercare). But what if we stepped up before bad things happen, in situations where families are struggling and parents are in crisis?

Safe Families for Children is a ministry of hospitality and compassion where safe, loving families voluntarily host children overnight in their homes for short periods of time to be a blessing to the birth parents as they work to recover from various levels of crisis or dysfunction.

How to become a Safe Family:
You will need to complete training, background checks, child abuse checks, reference checks, and a home assessment. The entire process can be done at your own pace, but can be completed within a few weeks.

How Safe Families works:
An approved Safe Family creates a profile of the children they are equipped to host—things like age ranges, number of children, and gender. When a need to host children arises that fits your profile, you may be contacted to affirm or decline your current availability to host.

Who are the families that need help from Safe Families?
For families caught in various levels of crisis, they may need to have someone take care of their children for a few days, weeks, or months. This short-term hospitality helps the family step back from the brink of a disaster (circumstances that often lead to abuse or neglect), and gives the parents an opportunity to recover. Examples include medical emergencies or surgeries, homelessness, joblessness, incarceration, and substance abuse treatment.

To Register or for Questions:
Email us at safefamilies@crossroads.net

From a dad after his children were hosted: Hello Safe Families - I sincerely appreciate all the good you have done for my family. I can't thank you enough; I want to say that your presence, assistance, and love can't be underestimated. I pray that the good Lord will reward you all graciously. Please, kindly extend my heartfelt appreciations to Tammi, Kim, and Jason; appreciations also to your beautiful daughters.
Thanks! Ben