On January 27, 2022, the Center for Public Justice hosted a webinar featuring Jason Weber, National Director of Foster Care Initiatives at the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), and 2021 Hatfield Prize Recipients Matthew Strong and Mark Moland, DPA (LeTourneau University) for a conversation on the impact COVID-19 has had on the foster care system and how civil society can step in and play an important role.
In this webinar, the panel discussed the community ties that were severed due to isolation from COVID, how foster care systems can benefit from being more flexible, and the necessity of community and organizational partnerships in order to move the foster care resources from “not enough” to “more than enough.”
Highlights
Foster care systems strive for the goal of permanency, either by returning children to their biological parents or placing them in adoption. However, in 2020, children spent 24% more time in foster care than in 2019 due to COVID-19’s strain on the foster system.
Even before the pandemic, feelings of isolation were one of the largest struggles a foster family faced. But when COVID-19 severed the community bonds that were essential to these families' mental and emotional health, the problems multiplied.
The panel identified five recommendations for how government and civil society can better support foster families post-pandemic: being flexible, instituting a plan for operating the foster care system during emergency periods, adopting principled pluralism, enhancing non-profit partnerships and encouraging churches to be active in this process.
Jason Weber states, “the foster parents who have community structures thrive. Those who don’t, flounder.” Moving forward, it’s essential that we recognize that fostering or adopting are not the only ways to be part of a solution. There are many ways that individuals and civil society institutions, like churches, can provide wraparound support for foster families.
Learn More About the Speakers
Jason Weber is the National Director of Foster Care Initiatives at the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO). The Christian Alliance for Orphans unites more than 200 organizations, nonprofits, individuals, and ministries, all dedicated to supporting and advocating for orphans, foster care families and children, among other priorities. Jason writes a regular column for Fostering Families Today magazine, is the host of the More Than Enough Podcast, and he is the author of Until There's More Than Enough: Working Together to Transform Foster Care Where You Live.
Jason and his wife, Trisha, first became passionate about children in the foster care system when living and working in the inner city, where many of the children and families they encountered had experienced foster care. Partially due to this, they became foster parents in 2001 and have been involved with children in the system ever since.
Matthew Strong is a junior Physics Engineering major at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. He completed his research for The Hatfield Prize during his sophomore year. Having grown up in Asia, he desires to use his current STEM education to teach and provide schooling opportunities domestically and internationally. In 2018 Strong received the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) Global Citizenship award for significant engagement in his community, including flood relief and interaction with refugees. Strong has been an active member of his university as a peer advisor and student instructor. He was a LeTourneau student representative at the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) held at Biola University in early 2020. Growing up amongst marginalized communities in Asia, he has used this background to establish a rich social network focused on reconciliation and growth through multiple organizations in Longview. His desire is to see the glory of God established in communities across the world as they holistically develop through refined education enhanced by illuminating research.
Mark G. Moland, DPA, is an Associate Professor of Political Science & Criminal Justice at LeTourneau University. Moland earned his Doctor of Public Administration from California Baptist University. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Government from the US Coast Guard Academy, and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University. Prior to teaching at LeTourneau, Moland retired as a Commander from the U. S. Coast Guard after a 21-year career specializing in boat operations, search and rescue, and homeland security. His research areas include criminal justice reform, foster care, immigration, and ethics. Moland is also a Colson Fellow and a graduate of the World Journalism Institute’s Mid-career program. He and his wife Shana have four children and live in Henderson, Texas.
Moderated by Anna Kate Peterson, the Program Assistant for Shared Justice, an initiative of the Center for Public Justice aimed towards equipping young adults and professionals for meaningfully integrating faith and work. Her work at the Center for Public Justice is a part of her year as a Fourth Fellow, which is a fellowship based from Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Anna Kate received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Hope College, in Holland, Michigan in 2021, and is from Atlanta, Georgia.
Strengthen the Foster Care System in Your Community
Inspired by what you’ve watched? Consider starting a Political Discipleship group to brainstorm ways you can help your community. The Center for Public Justice’s Political Discipleship is a guide for active Christian citizenship, designed to empower people with skills and tools to shape policy and address inequality and injustice in their communities. To learn more about starting a group, visit our website or contact katie.thompson@cpjustice.org.
The Hatfield Prize is made possible through the generosity of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. We thank them for their support, but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in these reports are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these foundations.