True foster care

Hillsides benefits from an extraordinarily generous community that supports our many initiatives to better serve those for whom we care. Recently, I was touring a group of representatives from a foundation that we had solicited. In the course of the visit, we ran into one of our residents. As I greeted him, he asks who these visitors were and took the initiative to introduce himself to them. I am always careful to conduct these tours in a way that protects the privacy and anonymity of our residents; however, this kind of unsolicited encounter is always great. Inevitably it is an opportunity to explain to guests the kinds of children we serve, their needs, and the services we offer. More importantly, the freedom of a child to approach any guest and introduce themselves is an indicator of how comfortable they are and how they perceive the organization as their own.

Contrast this to the recent article in the Los Angeles Times. The exposé of a small group home facility portrayed foster care services negatively.  Clearly, some organizations fail to meet the standards required to become a quality provider of foster care services. The existence of such an organization is inexcusable. Given the scrutiny from numerous regulatory agencies we experience routinely, I am amazed that such an organization is able to operate. Certainly this is unacceptable and warrants further investigation.

However, the problem with the article is that it does not distinguish the various kinds of providers in the foster care system. As a result, the foster care provider community is portrayed as “the child mill” rather than as the true resource it is for families and communities that are desperate to address the needs of vulnerable children and youth, who have experience trauma. This is an injustice to many agencies within the foster care system, both large and small, that provide good, quality care and more often than not at considerable financial risk.

These kinds of exposés are one way that the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets serve as a watchdog to safeguard the public interest. A provocative headline on the front page of the newspaper may increase sales. My hope is one day the focus would be not on the abuse of the public trust, but on countless organizations and individuals who make the sacrifices to serve foster care youth with no gain other than the satisfaction that they have made a difference in the life of a fragile and vulnerable child. That kind of selflessness is worthy of the front page of any newspaper.

 
May is Foster Care Awareness Month. In spite of the negative image reinforced by sensational articles in the media, fostering children, who are for whatever reason separated from their families, is an extraordinary public service that deserves our respect, admiration, and gratitude.

Strong Foundation Upheld for a Century

2013 will mark Hillsides centennial. Reviewing the historical archives provided an affirmation of the organization’s characteristics that had surfaced when we were developing a strategic road map this past year. Clearly from its inception, Hillsides has been an organization unquestionably committed to those it serves, willing to innovate in order to be most effective, and always dedicated to raising a voice in favor of those who otherwise would be ignored.

Quality Care

Our founder, Deaconess Evelyn Wile, was a woman on a mission. Having abandoned the comforts of her day, of family, and a home, she committed herself exclusively to the quality care of the children entrusted to her. She lived for them! Her absolute dedication established a work ethic that to this day permeates the organization, witnessed in the extraordinary number of staff who have worked most of their professional lives at Hillsides.

Innovation

From the very beginning Hillsides was like no other “orphanage.” Turning away from constructing a large, dormitory like structure, Deaconess Wile preferred a campus setting with cottages to provide children a home environment. Over the years, the organization developed the capacity to always look for additional ways to best serve vulnerable children. It was this spirit of innovation that led to  the construction of Hillsides Education Center, the establishment of an array of community-based services throughout greater Los Angeles and Pasadena, and most recently, the creation of the Youth Moving On program to address the needs of former foster youth striving for independence.

Advocacy

All of these efforts to provide the best possible care has also allowed Hillsides to be recognized as a credible  advocate, speaking out throughout its history to help engage the community to value the tremendous capacity of the children, youth, and families its serves.

 
Much has changed in 100 years; Avenue 64 is no longer the leafy refuges from the city that it once was, buildings have been added to the original three structures, and an extensive network of services in the community has been developed. Yet through these subsequent generations, some things remain the same--quality care, innovation, and advocacy. These are the foundation for what we hope will be yet another 100 years.

A Culture of Quality Care

I’ve mentioned in the blog before that Hillsides is seeking a national accreditation with the Council on Accreditation in New York. Although we are currently accredited by the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, a decision was made last year to pursue a national accreditation to better position Hillsides in an increasingly competitive and demanding environment. Although we have been preparing for the accreditation for several months, we have now begun a yearlong process that hopefully with culminate with our accreditation, just in time for our centennial celebration.

As part of the accreditation process, our efforts to continuously address improving the quality of care has been strengthened. A specific committee has been charged with reviewing all our efforts to assure quality services. A  Board committee will review these efforts, which engages not only all levels of staff, but will also solicit input from our many beneficiaries. More than anything else, what we want to reinforce is a culture that values the finest care for the most vulnerable.

In a previous era, it was satisfactory to talk about the good that was being done and point anecdotally to the impact that was made. Today, that is just not good enough--not good enough for those we serve and not good enough for us as an organization if we strive to be a provider of choice.

Hillsides has every reason to be proud of the quality of care it provides the children, youth and families we serve. But like any other organization, it is easy to be satisfied with what we have done or what we are doing without necessarily taking a critical look at how services are delivered and what the true impact is as a result of the care that has been received.

Some argue that it is difficult to measure the impact; there are too many variables out of our control that influence the outcome. Although that may be the case, it is still not an excuse for us to maintain a critical eye on what we do to assure that all we do is the best. Providing quality care is the greatest tool we have to counter those unforeseen variables that impact the lives of those we serve. In doing so, we can influence the outcome.

As I often say, we can never do enough for those we serve. So it is with that desire that we embark on this process with every hope that it will strengthen us as an organization. Further, cultivating this culture of quality care will enable us to fulfill much more effectively our mission of providing a safe “place” for all we serve.