Rachel Sykes says research shows that separating a child from their parent causes trauma. She says disrupting the connection point can have long-lasting effects. The Director of Children and Family Services for Samaritas Southwest in Kalamazoo says if that separation can be prevented it will help children in the long-term.
Samaritas is a faith-based agency that works with seniors, disabled people, children and families. Sykes says the agency’s preservation services help families at risk of having a child removed and placed in foster care.
The Protect MiFamily project was launched in Kalamazoo and two other counties in 2013. It started as a demonstration project for the state. Sykes says Samaritas looks for ways to strengthen families and keep them intact. She says when the agency gets a referral they work with the family to see what their strengths are, and for areas where help may be needed.
Samaritas can work with a family long-term, Sykes says that can be up to 15 months. She says the safety of children may require them to be removed from a home. Sykes even when children are placed in foster care they hope to reunite them with their biological parents within a year. She says most parents and children want to be back together.
Sykes says foster care has high costs for the family and children and she says for the community financially. Sykes says the idea of the Protect MiFamily program is to give a family their very best chance and make every effort to keep families together.
