Local Angels aim to transform Oklahoma’s foster care system

Founder and executive director Jennifer Abney began Angels Foster Family Network OKC in 2008 after seeing a gap in support for Oklahoma foster families. Nearly 13,000 children were in foster care in Oklahoma at the time of the founding, and stories of abuse and neglect in foster homes were flooding the news. Abney wanted to find a way to create more positive outcomes for children across the state.

Founding Angels

For Abney, her journey with Angels has been personal. After relocating to Oklahoma from San Diego, she discovered a huge need for both support and hope within the foster care system.

“My family fostered in San Diego for Angels and we had the very best experience,” Abney said. “I knew — with my business experience and background as a foster parent — that I could start Angels here and help our state get on a better path.”

Since Angels OKC began, the number of children in foster care has dropped nearly half. The state of Oklahoma has developed more programs that offer help to households before children are removed, and wraparound services have doubled. The Oklahoma legislature and its social services committee have been especially involved in the overhaul of the state’s human services.

“Since the beginning, we have consistently had incredible outcomes,” Abney said. “Our families have the resources to better foster, mentor, and be available for any needs for these children.”

Foster care and partnerships

Foster care is not adoption. It’s helping a child find a long-term, loving home to carry them through to a better life. Sometimes adoption is an option when kids cannot return home, and foster families have that choice, if open to the possibility.

“Our biggest challenge is foster care awareness,” Abney said. “So many people do not truly understand what foster care is, and how many children — from every walk of life — need a home to get them through the most traumatizing events of their lives.”

And the public isn’t always aware there are “private” foster agencies. People often think they must work with Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to become a foster parent, but DHS contracts with private agencies like Angels to help provide wraparound services, trainings, and any trauma-informed care they cannot provide. These private agency partners also help DHS find outstanding homes for children in the system.

“Our support creates more opportunities for DHS to work with biological parents and help them get back on the right track and get their children back,” Abney said. “It takes a strong team to help heal these families, and that is the key to successful foster care.”

DHS workers are challenged each day by an influx of children, some with severe cases of abuse and neglect. Angels hopes to take burden off the system with their network of qualified and caring families.

 “I love creating a supporting agency for DHS, and being able to provide the perfect family for a child right when they need us is key,” Abney said. “My staff is absolutely incredible, and this agency would not be as successful if we didn’t pour the same love and care into them as we do our foster families.”

The Angels care model

The Angels model of care is different than more traditional foster care in that only one child or sibling group is placed per family, whereas the state allows up to six different children from different homes, families and situations in one home.

According to Abney, 95% of Angels children remain in one home until permanency. Children in regular DHS care are moved an average of five times in their first year alone.

“Creating trust, bonding and love with a child is the key to preventing reactive attachment disorder, and currently, 80% of incarcerated people were in foster care as a child and have this disorder,” Abney said. “Great foster care will no doubt help keep our incarceration numbers down, help us develop contributing members of society, and break the cycle of abuse, neglect, and foster care for these families.”

Angels also works with other agencies that provide foster care support. For many years, the organization has been a member of OKCares, a large group of foster care providers across Oklahoma. Angels partners with Safe Families Oklahoma, CASA of Oklahoma County, The CARE Center, Fostering Sweet Dreams, Hope for the Future, The Hair Initiative, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, and other nonprofits that help create a better system of care.

Personal impacts

Abney and her team define success by the positive outcomes for each child that enters their care. They hope to make long-term impacts on the lives of the children in Angels homes. 

“My favorite part about running a nonprofit is the joy I see every single day in my staff, foster parents, and most importantly the children we serve,” Abney said. “So many children are finding love and trust for the first time in their lives, and it’s hard to put into words the joy it brings my heart each time we all work to figure out the best care and plan for each case.”

Through her own experience with fostering, she has seen firsthand the possible outcomes when children have positive influences and safe homes to grow up.

“There has been nothing more rewarding to my family than watching our daughter, Desi, grow up surrounded by so much love and support. Her inspiration is truly why I started Angels,” Abney said. “Desi told me when she was little that she wished every kid could have a life like hers, and I’ve made it my life’s work to make sure that the children in our foster homes get that opportunity.”