There’s a necessary balance between, on the one side, adequate government systems to keep us healthy and safe and, on the other side, the burden of public funding for services.
In some cases, privately funded organizations competently provide help. This was the subject of a 2019 study involving private and public foster care systems in 10 states, with 118,761 foster care cases studied.
The data showed mixed results for safety of participating children, with more highly trained staff and volunteers in nonprofit organizations scoring higher on protecting children from further trauma.
Many children don’t receive alternative home placement by a government oversight agency until they are adjudicated as victims of abuse or neglect, leaving children and adolescents in “unfounded” but very undesirable situations.
Other youngsters live with parental substance use, unemployment and insecure housing.
Nonprofits can fill this service gap by providing supports with trained volunteer host families for children, peer coaching and skills training for parents.
An example is the donation-funded organization Safe Families for Children. Their screened and trained volunteers host vulnerable children who aren’t in the Iowa child protection system but who nonetheless need support.
Four Oaks is an Iowa-based privately funded organization that offers services to children and families. Services include mental health treatment, affordable housing, foster care and parenting classes. Nonprofits such as these and others with a mission of protecting children rely on volunteer help and donated dollars.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
