LIV= LO� E LA � GH HOPE HELP HEAL 2016 OUTCOMES & ANNUAL REPORT 1 SUCCESS STORY � Maine couple makes a difference through foster parenting Lauri and Jeff Legere’s journey as life. Lauri and Jeff felt they had no serving as the first full-time recruiter foster parents began when they choice but to take him in as well, and of foster parents for “A Family for ME,” connected with KidsPeace in their in March 2001 he joined the other boy the recruitment program operated for home state in 1998. as a permanent part of their lives. DHHS by KidsPeace New England. “KidsPeace had just started in Maine at “The key to foster care for infants is “Prospective foster parents always that point. In fact, we were among the working closely with the birth families. want to know the real story as we first families in the state to go through The goal is always reunification experienced it. I tell them you have to the KidsPeace training for Therapeutic with birth families when possible. be prepared for anything – every child Foster Care,” she remembers. It can be tough after caring for and is different, every child’s situation is Their lives changed when, as newly bonding with the children, but we different.” view reunification as the success licensed foster parents, they got But if they ask is it worth it, she story of the fostering experience, with the call to take in a medically fragile answers firmly: “We wouldn’t change adoption being a secondary goal.” infant boy. The next few weeks were a a thing! Even with the loss and hard whirlwind of changes and challenges, Their journey would continue in the parts, I tell myself that WE are the lucky quarantine and medical equipment, years to come – respite and temporary ones that these kids found their way but in time their efforts brought about foster care for several youngsters to us to become part of our lives. a new chance for that child – and a waiting for permanent placement “We look at it this way: We need to purpose for their lives. families, an infant girl they adopted at help, even if it’s one child at a time, the urging of her biological mother, “We just wanted to help kids, but we because you have to make a difference caring for the infant brother of their thought when we started we’d care today to make a better tomorrow.” for school-aged children. We didn’t first adopted son, amid a number of In 2015, Lauri and Jeff Legere received realize there was such a need for other children navigating the various the “Angels in Adoption™” award from fostering infants.” stages of Maine’s foster care system. the Congressional Coalition on Adoption 17 years after beginning their The next call provided an even greater Institute. To read more about their journey, Lauri and Jeff preside over challenge for the newly married incredible experience as foster parents, a household of nine kids, birth and couple – a two-week-old boy with visit our blog at www.kidspeace.org. foster children alike. And while they such a variety of disabilities that For information on becoming a foster may not be taking more placements, doctors despaired of his being able to parent, visit www.fostercare.com. live anything approaching a normal they continue to give – with Lauri Table of Contents Transformation .......................................4 Hospital ..................................................14 Outreach ................................................19 Demographics ........................................5 Resources and Expenditures ..........16 Philanthropy ........................................20 Residential ...............................................6 Board of Directors ..............................17 Proud Supporters of KidsPeace .....21 Foster Care ...........................................11 Board of Associates............................17 Events .....................................................27 Community-Based Services ............12 Professional Presentations ..............18 Adult Services ......................................13 Accreditations & Associations........18 2 SUCCESS STORY � Dear Friend of KidsPeace, At KidsPeace, we focus on making sure our programs and services reflect the needs of the children, families and communities we serve, because we know that only through growth and adaptation can we meet the challenges our clients face. This past year has been no exception, and I’m pleased to have the chance to highlight our efforts in this annual report. Thanks to our KidsPeace Hospital expansion, completed in 2014, the hospital treated a daily average of 91 patients in 2015, up from 78 in the previous year. Behind that impressive increase is an even more important consideration: more families in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey were able to access hospital care for children and adolescents in psychiatric crisis at a location closer to their homes. This expansion essentially allows more families to actively participate in treatment and thus help bring about better outcomes for their children. Our Pennsylvania outpatient and community programs also continue to reach more people. One innovation adopted this past year is the capability for telepsychiatry at our outpatient clinics in Pennsylvania. Through the use of advanced, secure communications technology, we can make psychiatric consultations available to more clients while cutting wait times literally by months. In Maine, KidsPeace New England has expanded our capability to serve children in need, building on the growth in school-aged day treatment programming in the Millinocket and Bangor/Ellsworth areas. In 2015 we launched a new preschool day treatment program at our Graham Lake Campus that provides therapeutic support for kids ages 3 to 5. We also were chosen to partner with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to manage “A Family for ME,” a program to recruit foster parents throughout the state. Speaking of expansion, planning has begun on building a new 20-bed residential facility at our KidsPeace Georgia Residential Campus located in Bowdon, to meet a growing need across the state. The excellent work of our Georgia education associates received national attention when U.S. News and World Report named KidsPeace School of Georgia as one of the nation’s top performing high schools of 2015. The Georgia KidsPeace School was the only residential treatment school in the state recognized for this honor. As we look to 2016, many new challenges emerge. Explosive growth in the abuse of heroin and other opiates means a corresponding increase in the need for foster care placements for children of addicted parents. Recent tragic instances of gun violence in Oregon, California and elsewhere continue to underscore the need for more access to mental and behavioral health services in our society. We need to do more! As we have for 134 years, KidsPeace stands ready to meet the new challenges in accordance with our mission – to give help, hope and healing to children, families and communities. We need your support to continue this important work. Learn more about KidsPeace and our vital mission at www.kidspeace.org and www.fostercare. com. Please consider a donation and learn more about upcoming events to benefit our efforts, by following us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We look forward to continuing to work with all of you to help give kids peace. Best wishes. William Isemann President and CEO 3 TRANSFORMATION DEMOGRAPHICS At KidsPeace, we survey our clients annually to give them the opportunity to rate the services we provide for them in regard to our treatment model of care. The components that make up the KidsPeace Model of Care include: dignity, safety, relationships & belonging, character, transformation and empowerment. The Model of Care is the foundation of our care- giving philosophy. The Model is always considered as we introduce or modify programs or services. The percentages below represent the number of children who believe we are adhering to the tenets of the Model of Care. KidsPeace believes in: Safety – Safety is a primary need and a fundamental Transformation – Children discover strengths right of every child. America’s future depends upon through choice, risk, failure, insight and success. emotionally healthy and physically safe children. All Every American has a moral obligation to protect and Americans — especially teachers, counselors and support children as they discover their strengths and children’s group leaders — share responsibility to transform into healthy adults. positively nurture, respect and safeguard children. The KidsPeace Model of Care is... Dignity – Every child is unique and has worth and Aligned: building upon and integrated into the value. KidsPeace platform statement. Relationships & Belonging – Children grow in the Value-driven: describing the goals of our service as context of supportive relationships. Kids are helped the outcome of our beliefs. most by people closest to them. Mothers and fathers are the single most powerful support system for Kid-centered: placing children as central to all children. programs and participation in organizational life and responsibility. Empowerment – Every child has powerful potential. Help for children facing crisis must be available Strength-based: recognizing the strengths and anytime, anywhere. potential of youth rather than their deficits and empowering competent development by children. Character – Children learn by making decisions and taking action based upon values. Helping children Peer-related: developing relationships of the