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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
19 |
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TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO NETWORK AND COOPERATE TO SUPPORT FOSTER FAMILIES IN HAWAII.
WHEREAS, children are our State's most precious resource, which makes it in our greatest interest to nurture and provide them with the opportunities and resources they need to reach their highest potential; and
WHEREAS, according to the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services, more than four thousand children entered foster care in Hawaii in 2006, which constitutes a significant decrease from past years due to new and innovative programs that have been developed to better protect and serve our children and families; and
WHEREAS, foster children come from all backgrounds and from birth to age eighteen, and forty-five per cent of foster children are of Hawaiian or part Hawaiian descent; and
WHEREAS, children enter foster care for various reasons, the most common of which are physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and parental drug use; and
WHEREAS, we have a shared responsibility to serve the needs of foster children and to support the foster families that strive to provide these children with safe, healthy, and loving homes; and
WHEREAS, as of 2006, there were fewer than two thousand foster homes, representing only a portion of homes that are needed; and
WHEREAS, Kokua Ohana, a foster care program that was the result of a collaborative effort between the Partners in Development Foundation and the Department of Human Services, works with churches and community organizations in the Native Hawaiian community to recruit, train, and support foster families through the general licensing process, with the goal of striving for cultural harmony within Hawaii's child welfare system by uniting churches, community organizations, and families to care for and nurture Hawaii's foster keiki; and
WHEREAS, Kokua Ohana offers to help churches build a foster family ministry, members of which recruit others to become foster families, encourage others to become members of the ministry, support other foster families, accept and distribute donations, enjoy fellowship activities, mentor new foster families, help with household projects, and provide childcare; and
WHEREAS, Kokua Ohana will train foster family ministry members about foster care and develop an action plan to reach the hearts of congregations, funnel community donations to foster families in the church, help build relationships with local social workers to improve communication and services provided by the State, and provide support for prospective foster parents throughout the general licensing process; and
WHEREAS, Kokua Ohana sets a laudable example of what a faith-based organization can do to promote and assist foster families in Hawaii, and the collaboration of faith-based organizations to help our children in foster care in this way would have far-reaching benefits for society; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that faith-based organizations in the State are urged to network and cooperate to support foster families in Hawaii, such as by forming foster family ministries; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Services, Director of Kokua Ohana, Executive Director of Hawaii Youth Services Network, and President of Family Programs Hawaii.
Foster Families; Faith-Based Organizations