How do you prevent children from entering the US Foster Care System? Is there a better way to support families in crisis before child separation becomes necessary?
At Miracle Foundation, we are proud to announce a new initiative that is designed to find answers to these challenging questions. Called the Prevention Partner Program, this three-year pilot study will combine Miracle Foundation’s experience and technology with some of the leading agencies in the Texas prevention space.
“Our goal is to see how our Thrive Scale™ methodology—that has worked so well internationally—can be used to support families and keep them together here at home,” says Niyoshi Mehta, Director of Global Programs at Miracle Foundation. “But we needed to find the right partners first.”
A special Request for Proposals (RFP) was sent out, looking for applicants with outstanding reputations and name recognition, as well as the best mission fit for our organization. For the right partners, we were eager to invest, and we’re excited to announce the winners.
We love this well-respected Austin organization! They help survivors of domestic abuse maintain or regain custody of their children. As their name suggests, SAFE’s mission is to stop abuse for everyone, and they’ll be using our Thrive Scale™ to track family well-being over time.
We are so excited to be partnering with the Texas Permanency Outcomes Project. Another Austin-based organization with a stellar reputation, TXPOP has a broad reach, part of which extends into kinship care, which is an area we want to learn more about. We’re excited to support them in elevating kinship caregivers and bringing in someone with lived experience in the system to better inform their work.
This was an easy fit. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas has a mission that resonates with us: To help all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential. Along with Garden of Hope, a standout foster care agency, these two prevention leaders work in some of the most highly vulnerable areas in Texas.
It’s worth noting that our ability to make these awards is due in large part to Love, Tito’s, the philanthropic arm of Tito’s Vodka, a passionate supporter of our US work in the foster care system.
“When great organizations come together,” says our CEO Leslie Beasley, “huge systems change becomes possible. We can’t wait to see what the upcoming year brings for all of us and the children we serve.”
