SPRING 2020, ISSUE 1 VOL.
5
WWW.CAREINACTION.ORG
Care in Action Update
The past several months have
been a very busy time at Care
in Action Minnesota (CIAM),
and this trend will continue.
We have resumed our regular
newsletter to help keep you
up to date. Thank you very
much for your continued
support and partnership as
we work to help children and
families impacted by child
maltreatment.
In search of
potential partners
Care in Action continues to seek
churches, organizations, and
small groups, including families,
interested in becoming part of
the Adopt a Social Worker
program. If you know anyone who
is interested in supporting local
families by meeting the needs
identified by a county social
worker, we can be reached by
email info@careinactionmn.org.
Kindly visit our website for more
information about the Adopt a
Social Worker program.
www.careinactionmn.org
Ongoing
donations
It would highly be appreciated if
you would like to donate to Care
in Action on an ongoing basis. No
amount is too small, and this can
be through PayPal, or by visiting
our website for more details.
Little girl receives
a precious gift
A young girl was ready to be
reunited with her mother, but the
mother lost her housing, and the
reunification was put on hold.
The mother regained stable
housing and at the hearing to
approve reunification. This little
girl asked for a Barbie Dream
House in her new home because
she wanted to keep her barbie
dolls in a house in order for them
not to be homeless. It was a very
touching request from the little
girl. Partners rose to the occasion
with funds and her dream was
meet. The little girl was ecstatic
and full of gratitude for their kind
gestures.
Father is able to
keep a roof over
his family
A father gained full custody of his
son as a result of child protection
issue with the mother.
Unfortunately child support
payments continued to go to the
mother. As a result the father and
child were about to lose their
housing before the mistake could
be rectified. Partners came to his
rescue and the father was able to
keep the house. The father was
overwhelmed with joy for the
support received from partners.
Partners came to
the aid of a
grieving girl
A sixteen-year-old girl was in the
process of reunifying with her
mother when the mother passed
away. The teen resides in foster
placement and because of the
living arrangement had very little
to call her own. She wanted a pair
of Jordan shoes. Two email
partners offered to buy her the
shoes. Their generosity is highly
appreciated. The girl can now have
a pair of shoes and some extra
money to meet her other
immediate needs.
 MARCH 2020, ISSUE 1 VOL. 5
In 2019 the St. Paul
Foundation provided CIAM
with a grant to bring in an
organizational consultant
who could help us make a
stronger development plan.
We worked extensively with
Steve Boland and Ruth
Hamberg from Next in
Nonprofits. They helped us
clarify our goals as an
organization and more
clearly plan the path to get
there. They also helped us
secure some additional
funding in the form of a
grant from the Sauer Family
Foundation
We combined the grant from
the Sauer Family Foundation
with donations from our
partners to contract with
Katherine Sims, our new
Community Programs
Coordinator Katherine brings
a great deal of personal and
professional experience to
her work. While she is only
with us on a very part-time
basis, she has big plans for
helping CIAM grow. She will
help us strengthen our
communication with
partners, pursue additional
funding, and strengthen
overall infrastructure. She is
great addition to our team.
UPDATES
Katherine is not the only new
face at CIAM. Tina Fortunato
Community
has also joined us as an
Education
intern from St. Kate's social
Many of you have partners
work program. Tina brings a
with CIAM to help meet the
passion for social justice and
physical needs of children
a heart for people who have
and families impacted by
been marginalized and
child maltreatment. While
mistreated. She is getting our
this is often the most visible
newsletter back up and
action we take, we also
running, attending virtual
provide community
community events, and
education to raise awareness
helping with many of the
of child maltreatment and
ongoing tasks for CIAM. We
ways that the community
will be sad to see her
can help. Recent events
internship end in May!
include a presentation at
House of Hope Presbyterian
CIAM is excited to announce
Church in St. Paul, The Alley
that we have started a new
Church in Cottage Grove, and
partnership with Agape
the South of the River Mental
Church in St. Louis Park. This
Health Conference in Dakota
partnership has allowed us to
County. Unfortunately,
begin work with Hennepin
several upcoming events
County Child Protection.
have been canceled or post
Pastor Brock Junak and the
poned due to the COVID-19
whole church joined as soon
outbreak. We are excited to
as they heard about the need
announce that we will still be
and the practical ways they
partnering with the Zero
could help. They are
Abuse Project and Jacob
passionate about this work,
Wetterling Resource Center
and we are thankful they
for a two-day video
have joined with us.
conference called Keeping
Faith on April 27 and 28 in St.
Paul. Please see the attached
flyer for registration
information. It would be
great to see you there!
 MARCH 2020, ISSUE 1 VOL. 5
CIAM contributes to community
education through publication
as well. Our Director, Pete
Singer, has published two
articles about child
maltreatment. The first article
appeared in Currents in
Theology and Mission, and is
titled "Coordinating Pastoral
Care of survivors with mental
Health Providers." You can read
the article at
https://currentsjournal.org/index
.php/currents/article/view/132.
The most recent article was co-
authored with Victor Vieth from
the Zero Abuse Project and
appeared in the Mitchell
Hamline Law Review . It is titled
"Wounded Souls: The Need for
Child Protection and Faith
Leaders to Recognize and
Respond to the Spiritual Impact
of Child Abuse." You can find
the article at
https://open.mitchellhamline.ed
u/mhlr/vol45/iss4/6/.
How COVID-19
impacts child
maltreatment
 
In recent weeks, COVID-19
has had devastating effects
on children and youth who
have experienced or are at
risk of experiencing child
maltreatment. Youth in the
process of entering
foster care or needing new
placement. Risk contracting
the disease, which can be
deadly, any time they visit or
move to a new home.
On top of that, the Children’s
Bureau is finding it difficult
to find places for all these
children to stay during the
outbreak. Sending them
back to a harmful
environment can affect them
in multiple ways. The abuse
could get worse, leading to
the child getting seriously
injured. A series of neglect
cases can also arise from
parents consistently leaving
their children
at home to go to work in
these tough times.
Another problem the virus
can cause for the children
who are already in foster
care is that some states have
suspended in-person visits
and others will likely follow.
This just leaves one
option; video calls.
Unfortunately, this won’t
help some parents, as
toddlers can’t understand
video calls. Workers will not
be able to observe as much
as how the household
functions. Also, because of
the social distancing efforts
during the crisis, children
will not be able to get the
mental and behavioral
health services they need
and the parents who are
working to reunite with their
children won’t be able to
complete the requirements
needed for counseling or
parent training. The children
who are at particular risk are
older youth, who are more
likely to be placed in large
residential facilities, where
they will be in close contact
with other teens and will be
cared for by a changing
number of adults, whose
likelihood of exposure to the
virus is increasing.
The youth in extended foster
care beyond the age of are
required to be working or in
school to receive the benefits
of the system. However, as
most schools and
businesses are closing, they
risk losing necessary
government support, often
their only safety net.
Furthermore, the older youth
in school often rely on
their Colleges for housing.
Since the universities are
taking appropriate
precautions by closing
dormitories, many youth do
not have the option of
returning home and can
become homeless as a result.
Amidst the COVID-19
outbreak, life
has changed for most
families in the US and most
haven’t fully realized it.
Children
end up struggling with
adjustments to their daily
routine, while teenagers and
adults become stressed with
cancelled plans. The kids
eventually start to ask
questions regarding this
uncertain future and will
start to emulate their
parents’
emotions (such as fear,
sadness or anger) as they
worry for the safety of
themselves
and their loved ones.
Care in Actions will continue
to help in the
best way possible.
 MARCH 2020, ISSUE 1 VOL. 5

These are some suggestions Resources

on how to
https://www.childrensdefens
cope with the situation:
e.org/blog/the-coronaviruss-
    
impact-on-children-
Keep
childwelfarehttps://info.child
your set routine in place as
careaware.org/blog/coronavir
consistency is best during
us-how-does-it-impact-child-
times of stress
care-providers-and-ccrrs
   
         
Come
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/
up with creative activities to
14/815916445/coronavirus-
keep your kids busy
precautions-for-foster-youth
    
Manage
https://www.statesman.com/
and discuss your families
entertainmentlife/20200317/c
concerns and anxiety
oronavirus-in-austin-dfps-
        
foster-care-groups-brace-for-
Limit
impact
your consumption of news
and avoid false information
https://chronicleofsocialchan
        
ge.org/child-welfare-
Try
2/coronavirus-what-child-
to keep in touch virtually
welfare-systems-need-to-
think-about/41220

https://www.childtrends.org/
publications/resources-for-
supporting-childrens-
emotional-well-being-
during-the-covid-19-
pandemic

https://childmind.org/article/
supporting-kids-during-the-
covid-19-crisis/