Welcome to the quarterly newsletter for TFI’s Kansas services and programs!

INSIDE:

We believe keeping our community informed of what is happening in Kansas is important. In this issue, you will find the following:

Foster Parent Highlight – enjoy a look at some of our selfless foster parents.
Program Highlights – stay up to date on some of TFI’s initiatives in Kansas.
Staff Highlight – meet some of the individuals that make up our amazing staff.
By the Numbers – learn how Kansas is working to meet outcomes and goals.

Chad and LaTonya McGathy have four biological children. They have been foster parents for a little more than three years with TFI. Shortly after licensing, they did respite and then decided to long-term place the same child. During the same time, they provided respite for a foster teen girl off and on.

For seven months, they worked in partnership to help transition their first long-term placement to reintegration. The home then took in a sibling set, and they were placed with the McGathys for a little over a year until reintegration was achieved for both of them.

They have maintained 2 teen long-term placements since and have continued to provide respite for different TFI foster homes/foster kids in their area.

They communicate clearly and work well with foster care and permanency teams. They work together as a couple in assuring all the needs are met for any child placed in their home.

The McGathys are always willing to go above and beyond and offer to lend a hand in foster parent support meetings, celebrations, and get-togethers. We are very grateful for their home and for all that they do.

Clinical Services

April Updates:

In April, Areas 8 & 4 gained two new Substance Use Disorder (SUD) counselors who completed their training and began seeing clients individually.

May Updates:

Area 8 had one therapist successfully complete Parent Management Training – the Oregon method (PMTO) training! As of 05/17/2024, we now have two PMTO therapists for Area 8!
TFI’s clinical supervisors created a regular staff meeting where permanency and clinical can come together and staff those difficult cases.
TFI SUD in Wellington, KS successfully completed their annual KDADS site visit and did so well that they extended our license from a one-year to a two-year license!

June Updates:

The teen SUD group grew exponentially to where we had to add in an additional SUD group to accommodate.
TFI SUD in Fort Scott, KS successfully completed KDADS site visit and had zero Corrective Action Plans and were also granted a two-year license versus the one-year license.

Success Story

Our team had a client who began the therapeutic process skeptical of the journey. Beliefs were present, surrounding the stigmatization that is common within society. Beginning sessions included resistance to engagement and exhibition of defense mechanisms.

Through rapport building, connection seeking and trusting the healing experience, the client developed a greater sense of comfortability with challenging societal expectations within the mental health realm.

Efforts to address the trauma that has been endured, in order to gather a comprehensive understanding of the effects that past experiences propose with current functioning.

At this time within her therapeutic journey, the client has been forthcoming with addressing the means necessary for implementing changes for an increased ability to manage heightened anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Grow Nurturing Families

Grow Nurturing Families was given the approval to expand our grant into Wichita/Sedgwick County beginning July 1, 2024. We were able to move one of our therapists to that area and hired a family support worker to serve families in our new county.

Our leadership team and Wichita team have worked together to meet with DCF workers and the DCF Liaison to provide education on what Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is and what families will benefit from our services.

As we expand into Sedgwick County, we hope to bring in many more referrals so we can continue to grow our program. Grow Nurturing Families is now serving the cities of Topeka, Emporia, Manhattan, Ottawa, Pittsburg, and Wichita, along with all their surrounding counties.

To learn more about Grow Nurturing Families and the difference it is making, check out the video below.

Foster Care

In July, foster care increased its home count from 414 total homes in KS to 428 homes by the end of the month (as of today, we are at 437).

We are in the process of opening our first professional foster home in Kansas, the home has moved in and is waiting for licensure.

Also in July, we had a strong turnout at our pool party in El Dorado. Our recruitment team staffed booths at both the Lyon County and Harper County State Fairs and completed several recruitment/retention events throughout the state, and completed an event in the Manhattan area called “Everyone Counts.”

In July, we sent all active foster families in KS with active placements (over 250 homes) a $300 gift card to Great Wolfe Lodge.

Due to growth in the state, we were able to add a new supervisor to the Wichita area (giving us two supervisors) and add another staff member (8 total).

Grow Nurturing Families was recognized during the fourth quarter by awarding two of their staff with Employee of the Quarter.

We had one of our supervisors awarded with Supervisor of the Quarter (Kelcie Pusch) and one of our therapists awarded with Employee of the Quarter (Alaina Witzke). GNF is honored and humbled to have two employees recognized by our agency for all the work they have done within our program and TFI.

Kelcie has been implemental in providing clinical supervision to our staff and also worked with the PRTF to provide therapy for clients while their clinical program was short-staffed. Kelcie and Alaina both work tirelessly to come up with ideas of how to partner with DCF in order to promote our program and advocate for referrals.

Alaina has set up meetings with community partners for GNF leadership to make connections and she has attended a number of community and state-wide events in order to promote our program. Both of these team members are fully deserving of their EOQ awards.