Megan Rose

Home quarantine conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic do not look the same for everyone.

While some adults work double shifts to balance jobs with parenting, others are out of work indefinitely. We know that widespread job loss often leads to additional stress in the home, and has been linked to increases in substance abuse and domestic violence. In these unsure times, children are especially fragile and at risk. They have no control over things like access to food, or protection from abuse.

Florida’s vulnerable children need our support now more than ever. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the state’s abuse hotline saw a 30 percent increase in calls, from 26,000 calls in February to 34,000 calls in March.

The child welfare system is overwhelmed and does not have the resources to treat the root causes of messy and complicated family problems. In most cases, we can protect Florida’s vulnerable children by preventing the need for foster care in the first place.

A majority of the children who enter foster care are not abused. Most of these children face neglect at home due to economic instability, mental health issues or substance abuse. With the right local support system in place, these challenges can be overcome without foster care.

We know this in Florida, because we are already doing it.

Better Families is a voluntary alternative to foster care that solves the root causes of neglect with professional services and caring volunteers in the local community. When neighbors fall into crisis, host families care for their children like family, while also mentoring parents toward a better life. Everything is voluntary, and parents never lose legal custody of their children.

These parents may be struggling with homelessness, drug treatment, hospitalization or even a jail sentence, but they are brave. They make the voluntary choice to place their children with us because they believe that – while circumstances may be messy right now – they can get back on track with the right support and resources in place.

And they are right. The average stay of a child with Better Families is only 45 days, compared to an average 569 days in foster care. Of the 2,000 children we have served, 98% have successfully reunified with their parents. For comparison, 35% of Florida children who reunify with parents after foster care will end up back in the system.

We believe loving parents should not have to surrender their children because they lost a job, had the courage to seek treatment, or was hospitalized without child care coverage. Foster care should be reserved as a last resort for children of extreme circumstances who are in immediate physical danger.

For households that have spiraled out of control due to social isolation, lack of education, addiction and joblessness – programs like Better Families are the answer.

We are hosting a Child Abuse Prevention “virtual town hall” on Friday, May 1 from 2 to 3 p.m., featuring prominent leaders at the state and community level. The event will discuss how all of us in the Southwest Florida community can step up to keep children safe, support the foster care system and prevent the breakdown of families.

Anyone in the state of Florida – especially faith leaders, citizens, foster families, volunteers and child advocates – is encouraged to attend. Everyone can be part of the solution, and the time is now. Whether it is hosting children, mentoring parents or providing supplies for those who are, there is a role for you at Better Families.

Child abuse is a national tragedy, taking the lives of three U.S children every day. Join our virtual town hall meeting to learn how you can prevent these tragedies from happening.

If you know of a family going through a crisis in Southwest Florida who is need of support and our services especially in the wake of the COVID-19, please have them email Megan@bettertogetherus.org.

– Megan Rose is the CEO of Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping children out of foster care by strengthening families through work and relational support. www.bettertogetherus.org.