Child Welfare Outcome: Permanency
Type of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
Target Population: Sibling groups of 4 or more children from infancy through fourteen years of age who are in the custody of the state. Youth who are older than 14 may be accepted if they are part of a sibling group. The program is targeted to serve children and families who are newly involved in the foster care system. If the siblings are at risk for separation and the program can meet their needs, the program will serve sibling groups of 4 or more who have re-entered the foster care system due to disrupted adoptions or who are transferred from another agency.
Neighbor to Neighbor, developed by The Jane Addams Hull House Association, is a unique child-centered, family-focused foster care model. The program is designed to keep large (4 or more) sibling groups together in stable foster care placements while working intensively on reunification or permanency plans that keep the siblings together. Neighbor to Neighbor began in 1994 serving targeted communities in Chicago where the majority of children came into foster care. The program uses a community-based, team-oriented approach, including foster caregivers and birth parents as part of the treatment team. Trained and supported foster caregivers are key to the model’s success. Neighbor to Neighbor has professionalized this key role by placing these trained foster caregiver on the payroll of Jane Addams Hull House Association complete with salaries and benefits. Foster families, birth families, and children receive comprehensive and intensive services including individualized case management, advocacy, and clinical services on a weekly basis.