1. Jessica Hipchen Bethany Christian Services: Safe Families for Children 1
Background/Introduction
Bethany Christian Services is a 501c3 non-profit organization in Winter Garden, Florida. It
works to assure that all children around the world have the opportunity to be a part of a loving,
stable, and permanent family through providing family support and preservation, adoption, foster
care, pregnancy counseling, training, and refugee services, as well as sponsorship and an
infertility ministry. Founded 71 years ago as a single house for homeless children, Bethany
Christian Services has expanded over the years to meet the needs of not only orphaned and
vulnerable children, but also biological, adoptive, and foster parents. Today, Bethany Christian
Services is the nation’s largest adoption agency, with 75 locations nationwide, as well as
locations on five continents.
In order to meet the expansive needs of thousands of children and families who are in a time of
crisis, Bethany Christian Services made the decision in 2000 to partner with Safe Families for
Children, another 501c3 non-profit organization, that provides an alternative to foster care that
helps parents who need to temporarily place their children with another family due to
unmanageable or critical circumstances. Safe Families for Children works with adoption
organizations and churches nationwide, creating access to a greater number of volunteers. A host
family provides a loving and stable environment and serves out of a sense of compassion and
love, giving the biological parents time to establish stability in their homes. Each volunteer
family is assigned a coach who keeps track of information such as a change in address or phone
number, employment, number of people living in the home, or any behavioral, medical, or other
emergencies. Unlike foster care, volunteers of Safe Families for Children receive no
compensation, and the biological parent(s) voluntarily seek their assistance. The volunteer
family, biological parent(s), and child/children receive support before, during, and after the
placement. Services provided depend on each family’s specific needs and range from rehab to
financial management courses. These services are available due to the large network of providers
within churches and the community.
With more families in need of assistance than there are trained families and coaches who are
prepared to help, Bethany Christian Services would like to extend the opportunity for families to
receive assistance from a coach. Thus, more coaches are needed, and we are seeking $15,000 to
support a part time Recruitment/Training Coordinator focused on recruiting and training coaches
from within churches for the Safe Families for Children program.
Statement of Need
The parents with whom Safe Families for Children work are often isolated from society with no
knowledge of the resources available. There is a positive correlation between isolation and child
abuse. Parents who abuse and neglect their children were commonly abused and neglected as
children themselves. The fact is, these parents simply do not know how to parent because they
were not taught. With guidance and assistance from people in the community, these parents can
work through these challenges and overcome them. Safe Families for Children does just that. It
is a preventative program that allows families to reach out for help before the situation gets to the

2. Jessica Hipchen Bethany Christian Services: Safe Families for Children 2
point in which the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) intervenes. Since Safe
Families for Children opened its doors in 2000, they have had the opportunity to place over
12,000 children in a home, as well as providing a network of resources to the parents. With over
400,000 children in the foster care system, it is clear that there is still a need for more Safe
Families.
Children who enter the foster care system have experienced physical, sexual, and emotional
abuse and neglect. They have been tossed around into multiple homes, having to interact each
time not only with new families, but also new case workers. Without short and long term
services, these children are likely to show the same negative behaviors throughout their lifetime,
resulting in abuse and neglect being passed down through the generations. Our experience
working with children and families in crisis has shown that when they are given access to
resources, they are much more likely to utilize them, resulting in a positive reunification. Over
94% of children who enter the Safe Families for Children program return home, as compared
with DFCS where less than 50% return to their families. The difference with Safe Families is not
only the provision of resources for families, but also the positive outlook that both parents,
volunteer families, and children have on the entire process. Safe Families is seen as a helping
hand rather than a hand that takes away.
Currently, Bethany Christian Services has the resources to provide families with the connections
to host families and resources within local churches, but does not have the capacity to continue
to recruit and train Safe Families Coaches. This responsibility has been fulfilled by Bethany
Christian Service’s staff in the past. With more families utilizing the program, the staff has
recognized a need for a new position, a Recruitment/Training Coordinator, dedicated specifically
to recruiting and training coaches to do the actual facilitation of the placements of children in to
Safe Family homes. Without Safe Family Coaches to walk through the process with these
volunteer families, the families cannot take in any children.
Objectives & Capacity
Bethany Christian Services is an organization which takes pride in self-evaluation. We know the
importance of taking the time to take a step back and make sure that we are doing things as
effectively and efficiently as possible, keeping in line with our mission, vision, and values. The
overall goal of Safe Families for Children is to offer support in a time of need and reunite
children with their families in a stronger home environment. An outcome for parents, volunteers,
and children is cultivation of a positive view of the situation. Specific outcomes for biological
parents are a decrease in feelings of isolation and an increase in access to services and a network
of friends. An outcome for children includes an establishment of a healthy attachment to their
Safe Family. These outcomes will be measured through the completion of several pre and post
group tests and pre and post Safe Family home studies. The purpose of the home studies is to see
the child’s interaction with the family at the beginning and end of their stay, focusing on
attachment.

3. Jessica Hipchen Bethany Christian Services: Safe Families for Children 3
We will also be attentive to process-oriented objectives. We will increase the number of Safe
Families by 20 per year, increase the number of Safe Families Coaches by 30 per year, and be
open to feedback from parents, children, host families, Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family
Friends. When children are placed back into their homes, parents will complete a survey about
what they have learned through their process of working with the Safe Families for Children
program and how they feel now that they have accomplished the task of being reunited with their
family.
Bethany Christian Services has a history of partnering with other organizations to better offer
services that fit the needs of communities. Not only have we worked with Safe Families for
Children since 2003, but we have also been working alongside agencies in other countries in
situations where children are without loving families. Bethany Global works to provide families
through its Foster-to-Adopt program in countries with no previous tradition of adopting unrelated
children. By partnering with local agencies, we ensure families are adequately equipped to care
for foster and adoptive children so the entire family is strengthened. By mobilizing in-country
partners, Bethany ministers to families in a sustainable and culturally appropriate way, helping to
ensure that the positive outcomes can be maintained. It is this holistic approach that makes
Bethany Global Services so innovative and so successful — and that makes Bethany such a
trusted partner internationally.
Activities
Safe Families for Children’s curriculum and design is based on an original model in which
biological parents maintain full custody. There is a commitment to reunite the family as soon as
possible, with an average length of stay with the host family at six weeks. The volunteer families
are extensively screened and supported, and there is a close working relationship among Safe
Families, the local church, and the referring organization.
Children and families from all over the United States participate in this program. For the
purposes of this project, we are focusing primarily on children and families from Winter Garden,
Florida, as well as Kissimee, Ocoee, and Sanford, Florida. Many families are referred to us by
members in the community, Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family Friends, or they come to us
on their own. Currently there is one staff member of Bethany Christian Services of Winter
Garden that facilitates the host families through the adoption process, also known as a Safe
Family Coach. This person is the one notified if there are any changes in the host families basic
information and will also support the family throughout the process. A case worker from
Bethany Christian Services is responsible for completing a home visit with the family to allow
the staff to get to know the family and make sure that the home is a safe place. Training is
completed online, and all other parts of the process such as the background check/fingerprinting
and letters of recommendation are the responsibility of the host families. The Coach notifies
families when a child needs help. We request financial support for only one position noted
above, a Recruitment/Training Coordinator, which will train volunteers in the community to

4. Jessica Hipchen Bethany Christian Services: Safe Families for Children 4
assist host families at no charge. The case management position is funded through existing
resources. The remaining partners, Safe Family Friends and Churches, are completely voluntary
and require no funding. With additional funding, we will be able to train more Coaches, making
it possible to place more children with Safe Families.
We currently offer the services from a Coach to 50 families in Winter Garden and the
surrounding areas. However, there are many more families that contact us on a daily basis who
need our assistance with the Safe Families program. While we have identified a need for more
Safe Family Coaches, we do not currently have the staff resources to provide these services.
Funding will allow for a part-time staff member, the Recruitment/Training Coordinator, to
recruit and train at least 30 new Safe Family Coaches per year so that waiting families can
receive the services and help they need to provide a stronger home environment for their
families.
Evaluation
In November and December 2015 and January 2016, we will recruit, screen, and assess Coaches.
Training will take place in early February 2016 and by the end of February, Coaches will be
trained and assigned to families. The second round of recruitments will be completed between
March and May 2016. We will train this group of Coaches beginning early in June and they will
have completed the training by the end of the month, followed by the assignment to families. The
last recruitment of the year will take place between July and September 2016. Training will
begin for this group in early October and will be completed by the end of the month, followed by
the assignment to families. We expect 80% of all recruitments to complete training and 100% to
be placed with a family within the first 6 months following the completion of training. Analysis
of such statistics will document the success of the program.
Safe Families will also measure its success through pre and post group tests and home studies. A
total of 95% of children, volunteers, and families in the Safe Families for Children program will
have cultivated a positive view of the situation by the time the post-test is taken. A total of 90%
of these children will have established a healthy attachment to their host families by the time of
the post home study. A total of 100% of families will have a decrease in feelings of isolation,
increase in access to services and a network of friends.
Success will also be measured by results in our process-oriented objectives. We will increase the
number of Safe Families by 20 per year, increase the number of Safe Families Coaches by 30 per
year, and be open to feedback from parents, children, host families, Safe Family Churches, and
Safe Family Friends. When children are placed back into their homes, parents will complete a
survey about what they have learned through their process of working with the Safe Families for
Children program and how they feel now that they have accomplished the task of being reunited
with their family.

5. Jessica Hipchen Bethany Christian Services: Safe Families for Children 5
Project Budget
Personal Services
Name/Position Computation Cost Sources
Mae Brennan $15/hr x 1000 hrs $15,000 Grant
Recruitment/Training Coordinator
Mae has a master’s degree in counseling and is employed part-time as a counselor at Agape
Counseling Services. She will be responsible for recruiting and training Coaches to facilitate the
placements of children into Safe Family Homes. Grant funds would pay for recruitment and
training time.
Charlotte Cooper $15/hr x 520 hrs $7,800 Other grant
Case Worker
Charlotte has a master’s degree in social work and is employed full time as a Case Worker at
Bethany Christian Services. She completes half of the initial home studies and weekly home
visits with the host families. Another grant funds her salary.
Rosie Smith $15/hr x 520 hrs $7,800 Other grant
Case Worker
Rosie has a master’s degree in social work and is employed full time as a Case Worker at
Bethany Christian Services. She completes half of the initial home studies and weekly home
visits with the host families. Another grant funds her salary.
Cheri Williams $20/hr x 260 hrs $5,200 Other grant
Project Coordinator
Cheri has a master’s degree in public administration and is employed full time as the Branch
Director at Bethany Christian Services. She oversees Safe Families for Children to make sure
that everything is functioning properly. Another grant funds her salary.
Sub Total $35,800
Operating Costs
Purpose Computation Cost Source
Supplies $300 x 100% $300 Other Grant
Supplies include paper, ink, and pens.
Space $50 x 16 hrs x 3 $2,400 value Church
Donated space for Coach training sessions
Sub Total $2,700
Total for All Categories $38,500
Grant Funds $15,000
Other Sources/Donations $23,500

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*This project is also supported by 50 volunteer Hosts, 7 volunteer Churches, 50 volunteer
Friends, and 50 volunteer Coaches who combined donate 12,780 hours annually.