Prayer Experience – Prevention

Prayer Points:

Pray for the people involved: 

  • Pray for the people seeking to change the circumstances that led to their child welfare case.

  • Pray for the isolation, guilt, and stress that these families may feel.

  • Pray for the FCS (Family Centered Serviced) workers with OKDHS that primarily assist in preventative service cases.

  • Pray for the children involved that they would be protected and hopeful.

Pray for the places involved:

  • Pray for schools that often are on the front lines of seeing children and families in need.

  • Pray for community organizations that provide both physical and relational resource supports.

  • Pray for the local church that they would be the champion of family.

Activity:

Take a moment to thank God for your family. By the very act of you being exposed to this prayer experience, you are probably experiencing a season of relational health in your family. Even though your family may not be perfect, what if your family was completely broken apart? How might it affect every aspect of your life? Journal some of the reasons you are thankful for your families and even take the time to send a text or make a call to tell a family member how grateful you are for them.

Get Involved:

  • Serve at a local epicenter of need like a school or community centre that serves at-risk families.

  • Look for ways to provide relational support through organizations that facilitate mentorship, or family stabilization efforts like child-hosting.

  • Housing, transportation, job assistance, child care, and substance abuse counseling/support services are some of the greatest needs in the prevention space. Look for ways that you could intentionally help.

  • Consider having your church, business, or even family sign up to meet needs on 111Project’s CarePortal in Oklahoma. Click HERE.

Sophia’s Story (Continued):

In the story of children and families in the foster care system, there are so many what-if’s. What if this or that decision wasn’t made? What if this resource was provided? What if this relationship was there to help out? Unfortunately for many children, the what-if’s can’t always be worked out. Sophia in the 111Project experience couldn’t stay in her home due to the substantiated evidence that led to her removal. For most of the cases in Oklahoma, children are removed due to safety concerns related to neglect in many more cases than abuse. Most situations are due to substance abuse or socioeconomic poverty. Many cases involve mental health challenges. What if we could help the family while the children are in their homes vs removing children and adding on trauma? Many Oklahoma children have this opportunity because agency partners like OKDHS are working hard to address the safety concern while not removing the children. This may be where services are provided to the family in crisis or another stable adult steps in to monitor the situation with State assistance. The preventative space in the children welfare system is full of so much opportunity. Schools, churches, and community organisations can play a critical role in getting children and families connected and supported. Someone just knocked on the door of Sophia’s home. Her mom and her mom’s boyfriend are not home and Sophia is watching her brothers alone.