Roughly 27 Oklahoma foster families and four former child-welfare professionals have a new organizational home after Saint Francis Ministries ended its foster-care operations in the state. Circle of Care, a nonprofit with roots in Oklahoma City, has welcomed those families and staffers as part of a transition designed to keep kids connected to the caregivers and communities they already know.
Saint Francis Ministries confirmed the closure of its Oklahoma foster-care program, saying it is working closely with the state and other partners to move its remaining foster homes to another licensed provider, according to a statement on the organization's own website. As reported by News 9, Saint Francis said the goal of the handoff is to ensure continuity of care for the children and families it had been serving.
That continuity is exactly what Circle of Care says it's aiming to protect. The addition of about 27 families expanded the organization's foster network and allowed those households to keep serving kids in their own communities, per the same report. Circle of Care's foster families now span both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas, and the four former Saint Francis employees who joined the organization are expected to help families maintain familiar connections throughout the shift.
Familiar Faces Meant to Ease the Shift
Circle of Care President and CEO Keith Howard framed the arrival of those experienced staffers as central to making the move feel less disruptive for kids already in placement. Howard said the professionals know the families and communities and care deeply about the children, the outlet's report states, and that keeping them involved was a deliberate part of the plan.
According to the same account, Howard said the goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible, honor existing relationships, and ensure families continue to receive support. He also said foster families will simply continue opening their homes after the switch, with Circle of Care describing the move as one that provides stability for children already placed in those households.
A Century-Old Network With Deep Oklahoma Roots
A Century-Old Network With Deep Oklahoma Roots Circle of Care traces its history back to a children's home founded in Oklahoma City in 1917, according to MetroFamily Magazine. A 2015 MetroFamily Magazine article reported that the organization had approximately 100 foster families across the state. Circle of Care also operates the United Methodist Boy's Ranch in Gore, which opened in 1963 and still functions as a working ranch and campus-based foster-care site, per the same magazine feature.
Circle of Care's foster-care program says it partners with churches and families throughout Oklahoma to recruit, train and support foster parents. The organization lists monthly support-group meetings, financial assistance, respite care, case management and training among the services it offers foster families, and it says it also provides prevention, counseling and post-adoption support for families navigating life after placement, per its website.
For the roughly two dozen families who just changed agencies, those existing supports, paired with staffers who know the families and communities, appear to be the backbone of a transition meant to keep disruption to a minimum for Oklahoma kids in foster care.
