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All In Foster Care Summit Attracts Churches and Attendees from Across West Virginia

The first-ever All In Foster Care Summit was held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at Chestnut Ridge Church in Morgantown. It was an amazing day filled with world-class speakers, activities, and networking among West Virginia churches, non-profits, businesses, and government organizations. There were dozens of churches in attendance.

The theme of the Summit was going All In for vulnerable children and families. Attendees learned about the realities of foster care throughout the country, the struggles of foster families in West Virginia, the gospel motivated reason “why” churches should care for vulnerable children and families, and how churches can begin ministries focused on foster, kinship, and adoptive kids and families. The day started with the following video, which challenged attendees to consider the most basic solution to providing children with belonging.

In the coming weeks, presentation and panel sessions from the Summit will be made available online.

The State of Foster Care from the Inside: National Survey Paints a Challenging Picture

This national, inaugural survey on foster care included former foster youth, caregivers, and child welfare professionals.

A new survey report, released in May, represents a rare attempt to gather an account of the foster care system directly from those living in or with children in it, and from frontline workers and caregivers working in the system. This first “Voice of the Foster Care Community” report, organized by iFoster, included over 1,000 foster youth, 1,100 caregivers, and nearly 230 child welfare professionals across 49 states.

The results of the survey show a reality where those closest to the system are frustrated and dissatisfied. According to the Executive Summary of the report:

“The overwhelming consensus is that the child welfare system is failing the children and youth it is responsible for raising. It’s failing by allowing children to languish in the system longer than they need with no permanency; failing to be equitable; failing to recognize the lifelong impacts of trauma, and failing to prepare youth to be independent when they age out of care if a permanent family has not been found for them.”

The full report can be found here:

Voice of the Foster Care Community

A Special Invitation from Coach Neal Brown to the “All In Foster Care Summit”

West Virginia head football coach, Neal Brown, invites church leaders to May 18, 2022 Summit, which will rally church leaders to help vulnerable children and families.

West Virginia has the nation’s highest per capita rate of children in foster care.
If you are a West Virginia church leader, we invite you to become part of a church-led foster care movement that is bringing new ideas and practices to the Mountain State.

The All In Foster Care Summit, a Chestnut Mountain Village event, features
national and state child welfare leaders who will help attendees:

• Understand West Virginia’s urgent foster care situation
• See how the church is uniquely positioned to make a difference
• Learn practical ways to care for children & families in foster/kinship care
• Begin to transform foster care in your community

Featured Summit Speakers Include:

Neal Brown
Head Football Coach, West Virginia University

Jason Johnson
Director of Church Mobilization and Engagement at Christian Alliance for
Orphans; Author of Reframing Foster Care, ALL IN Orphan Care, Everyone
Can Do Something and Effectively Engaging Churches

Lynn Johnson
President and Founder, ALL IN Fostering Futures; Former Assistant Secretary
for U.S. Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.

Plus many other national and state child welfare and church leaders.

Summit Details:

Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Chestnut Ridge Church
Morgantown, West Virginia

Event check-in begins at 8:00 a.m.
Summit will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

Registration for “All In Foster Care Summit” Now Open

May 18, 2022 Summit will rally West Virginia church leaders to become part of a church-led foster care movement.

The All In Foster Care Summit, a Chestnut Mountain Village event, features national and state child welfare leaders who will help attendees:

• Understand West Virginia’s urgent foster care situation;
• See how the church is uniquely positioned to make a difference
• Learn practical ways to care for children & families in foster/kinship care
• Begin to transform foster care in your community

Featured Summit Speakers Include:

Neal Brown
Head Football Coach, West Virginia University

Lynn Johnson
President and Founder, ALL IN Fostering Futures; Former Assistant Secretary
for U.S. Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.

Plus many other national and state child welfare and church leaders.

Summit Details:

Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Chestnut Ridge Church
Morgantown, West Virginia

Event check-in begins at 8:00 a.m.
Summit will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

“All In Foster Care Summit” to be Held May 18, 2022, in Morgantown

The Summit will rally West Virginia church leaders to care for foster, adoptive, and kinship children and families.

West Virginia’s children and families are suffering.

West Virginia has the highest per capita rate of children in foster care in the nation.
Children in foster care have PTSD at rates higher than combat veterans.
Former foster youth experience homelessness and incarceration at high levels.

Children in foster or kinship care are not “someone else’s problem” – they are God’s children.

If you are a pastor or leader in a West Virginia church, Chestnut Mountain Village invites you to save the date of Wednesday, May 18, 2022. On that day, church leaders from across the Mountain State, along with national and state child welfare experts, will gather in Morgantown and begin to transform how the West Virginia Church cares for God’s most vulnerable children and families.

Registration and additional information from Chestnut Mountain Village coming soon.

Chestnut Mountain Village Becomes West Virginia Affiliate for The Promise Network

Relationship brings proven methods and tools to help West Virginia churches care for vulnerable children and families

Chestnut Mountain Village (“The Village”), a ministry of Morgantown-based Chestnut Mountain Ranch, has become the West Virginia affiliate of The Promise Network. The Promise Network is a nationwide group of churches and organizations that are committed to living the promise God makes in Psalm 68:6 “to set the lonely in families.”

As part of The Promise Network, The Village and its participating churches can receive training, resources, and ongoing support from Promise 686, a leading national organization that mobilizes church communities to care for vulnerable children. The Promise Network currently supports 1,017 churches in 26 states. The addition of The Village makes West Virginia one of the newest states to join the Network.

“The Village’s status as a Promise Network affiliate will allow our West Virginia church partners to access proven, step-by-step methods and tools to start ministries focused on caring for foster, adoptive and other vulnerable children and families,” said Greg Clutter, Director of Foster Care Initiatives at The Village. “The resources The Village can bring as a Promise Network affiliate will provide multiple ways for churches to both start and sustain these ministries.”

The founding organization of The Promise Network, Promise 686, based in Norcross, Georgia, helps mobilize church communities to care for vulnerable children. Using their technology, tools, and proven methods, they have equipped over 1000 churches across the nation to:

Raise awareness around the needs of vulnerable children;
Help prevent children from going into foster care by supporting families in need;
Recruit and equip foster & adoptive families; and
Create Care Communities for those caring for at-risk kids.

“Chestnut Mountain Ranch has a deep understanding of the significant trauma that West Virginia children face. Now they are bringing that understanding and a path for service to churches through The Village. We could not be more pleased to partner with them,” said Andy Cook, CEO of Promise 686.

The driving forces behind The Village partnerships include not only the significant number of West Virginia children in foster care, but, also, the potential poor outcomes for children when there are not enough foster families or community support. West Virginian has the highest per capita number of children in foster care in the U.S. Church and community leaders can begin caring for these children and families by visiting The Village website at cmvwv.org or contacting The Village via email at greg@chestnutmountainranch.org.

West Virginia Children and Families Are Suffering: Hope and Homes Blog Series Part 1

This is part one of Chestnut Mountain Village’s three-part blog series focusing on The Church and Foster Care in West Virginia. The different parts of the “Hope and Homes Series” will focus on West Virginia’s foster care challenges, why the Church should be engaged in the issues, and how churches can impact vulnerable children and families in practical and meaningful ways. In this first installment, we will look at the challenges faced by West Virginia’s children. We will, particularly, look at specific data around foster care and kinship care in the Mountain State.

The available statistics related to West Virginia’s foster and kinship care situation paint a grim picture. On almost every metric, West Virginia does not compare favorably to national averages.

Consider the following sample of information:

According to the latest WV DHHR legislative statistics, roughly 6,700 West Virginia children currently live in foster care. This means that, per capita, West Virginia continues to have one of the highest rates of children in foster care in the nation.
Per the State of Babies, for every 1,000 babies born in West Virginia, 25 are removed due to maltreatment. This is more than three times the national average.
Furthermore, it has been reported that West Virginia removes children from their homes at a rate nearly 5 times the national average.
Estimates vary widely on the number of children being raised by their grandparents in West Virginia. However, according to the Grandfamilies Collaborative, there are over 22,000 grandparents responsible for their grandchildren; 33,000 children being raised by kin with no parent present; and 49,698 children living in homes where a relative is head of the household.
A 2019 estimate suggested that the vast majority of grandparents in some West Virginia counties lived with and were responsible for grandchildren. At least one county had 82% of grandparents in the county living with and responsible for their grandkids.

The reasons that West Virginia children are placed in foster care or kinship care are different than much of the country. Per Child Trends, the leading reason that children go into foster care in the U.S. is neglect. In West Virginia, neglect is typically involved, but most children are removed from their homes as a direct result of parental substance abuse. The rate of children born in West Virginia with opioid addiction was 51 per 1000 in 2017 (Umer, Loudin, Maxwell et al), compared to 7 per 1000 nationally at that same time (Owens and Hirai).

Individuals who experience foster care often have long-term emotional, social, and mental health impacts that go well beyond the duration of their care outside of the home. In addition, those experiences are strongly negatively correlated with long-term employment, housing, and other important factors.

The data is clear, many West Virginia children and families are suffering. This includes extended families that often bear the brunt of the responsibilities for children when parents are unable to care for them. In a situation like this, how does the Church respond? What are its Biblical responsibilities? Contact The Village to learn how your church can join the movement to care for vulnerable children and families in your community.

contact the village

Chestnut Mountain Ranch launches “The Village,” bringing hope + homes

West Virginia has nearly 7,000 children in foster care. This is the highest per capita rate in the United States. For every 1,000 babies born in West Virginia, nearly 25 are removed due to neglect or other mistreatment. This is more than three times the national average. In response to this foster care crisis and needs, Chestnut Mountain Ranch has launched Chestnut Mountain Village (“The Village”).

Outcomes for children in foster care are not good. Up to one in four children who have been in foster care will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Young people who leave foster care without forever families are more likely to experience homelessness, addiction, and human trafficking.

In speaking with front-line child welfare workers in West Virginia, Chestnut Mountain Ranch (“the Ranch”) has consistently heard that more and longer serving foster families are desperately needed to improve outcomes for children in foster care.

The Village is a new Ranch ministry creating Christ-centered communities to bring hope and homes to vulnerable West Virginia children and families. The Village will start by working with churches statewide to create local ministries that support foster, adoptive, and vulnerable children and their families. This practical support will increase the number of foster families and the time that those families serve. The result will be improved outcomes for West Virginia’s children.

Be on the lookout for more news in the coming months as The Village grows across the Mountain State!!