What We Do :: Mentoring
Permanency Champion
(Noun) 1. The property of being able to exist for an indefinite duration. (Noun) 1. A person who fights for a cause.
Mentor
(Noun) 1. A wise and trusted guide and advisor.
Adoption Network Cleveland's primary goal for youth in foster care who are waiting for adoption is to help them find a permanent, loving adoptive family. Adoption Network Cleveland created the role of Permanency Champion to be a member of the team of social workers, therapists and foster parents that help identify potential family resources. In addition, the Permanency Champion can advocate for and provide support to the teen as he or she transitions either into a family or into adulthood on his or her own. Our hope is that these connections become lifetime relationships that enrich both the teen and the mentor.
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- Mentoring is a Great choice
Permanency Champions not only help the child they are mentoring, they help the community as a whole. Teens who age out of the foster care system but still have a permanent, stable adult connection in their life have a much greater chance for success than a youth who doesn't. In addition, for teens in foster care, most of the people in their lives are paid to be there. As volunteers, Permanency Champions can show the youth that people will care about them without being paid to do so.
Adoption Network Cleveland provides many opportunities for group and individual social activities like bike riding, sledding, basketball, football, or baseball games, movies, and many other fun events. In addition, all Permanency Champions and their matches are given individual and group support.
To become a Permanency Champion you need to complete the following:
- attend a brief training
- get fingerprinted and have a background check completed
- participate in a one-on-one assessment with our social work staff.
It is not a long process and participants have raved about the valuable information they gain through the training and screening process. Teens need positive stable adults in their lives, not always "perfect" ones. Ordinary people can be great permanency champions for teens!
To learn more about becoming a Permanency Champion for a teen in foster care, please call (216) 325-1000 or e-mail Kelvette.Beacham@AdoptionNetwork.org
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- Sue, Maria, Janet, Tom, Laura and teens (not pictured) get ready to trail the path of mentoring in Cuyahoga Valley
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