Our Family Engagement Center located at 1140 E. 47th St. South, Wichita KS 67216 will hold all Team Decision Making meetings (TDM), Case Planning Meetings, and family visitations; You can directly reach The Center at 316.361.7758.
When you call this number, you can choose the following prompts to redirect you to the most appropriate department:
Choose this option if you need assistance regarding family visitation, Team Decision Making Meetings, and Case Planning Meetings.
Choose this option if you need assistance with placement of a child.
Choose this option if you need to reach the Wichita Connect4Success site.
Choose this option if you need to reach the Connect4Success Goddard site.
Choose this option if you need to reach the EmberHope Connections transportation department.
Choose this option if you need to file a grievance with our ombudsman.
Welcome to EmberHope Connections, a place for families and children navigating the challenges of foster care, reintegration, adoption, and independent living case management in Sedgwick County beginning July 1, 2024. We understand how hard this is for families as we previously held the same contract for 15 years, from 1997 to 2013. For the past decade, we have underscored our commitment to restoring families by embedding trauma-informed initiatives and customizing services. Our evidence-based programs, SafeGenerations ReSolutions Together, Team Decision-Making, Family Finding, and the Crossover Youth Practice Model, will help families navigate the challenges they face together. We value each and every family we serve.
This practice model is designed to strengthen and preserve the integrity of the family unit, maximize opportunities for family choice and self-determination, and recognize the importance of engaging the family as an active collaborator/partner. We provide services that give the child and family opportunities to strengthen and support the family in their ability to meet their child’s needs for safety, well-being, and permanency.
Our practice affirms the significance of engaging the family as active participants in developing policy, program design, and evaluation and making decisions in selecting services for them and their children. Our model includes family and child assessments that are strengths-based and solution-focused, and our service provision is trauma-responsive and community-based, building upon informal supports and resources.
Our strategies are linked to our mission, vision, and core values, underscoring our dedication to fostering family reconciliation and unity. We deliver services founded on comprehensive research, cultural sensitivity, and empirical data. By embodying our specialized approach and practices, we aim to contribute significantly to the safety, stability, and well-being of the children, youth, and families entrusted to our care.
Our permanency services and crossover youth case management teams support children and families by collaborating with a variety of specialized service areas within the program.
Our experienced team members, who bring a wealth of expertise and years of dedicated service, play a pivotal role in recognizing the distinct needs of the children and families we support. They are skilled at connecting these individuals with tailored community resources and specialized services, ensuring that each family receives the comprehensive support they require.
Our centralized department will accept all out-of-home referrals from DCF, focusing on placement stability and placing children with siblings and relatives in their home communities and school areas. We have 24/7 services to cover crisis and placement calls.
If you have questions, please contact us at intake@emberhope.org.
Our kinship team will coordinate and collaborate with case management teams to identify, assess, and support relative and
kinship placements. We are focused on finding and building healthy emotional ties to the child to help facilitate timely permanency and make connections to faith, culture, and family values.
Our clinical services team will support the permanency and crossover case management teams by offering many supportive functions across all programs. We use the Kansas Parent Management Training Oregon Model (K-PMTO) program. It offers families intensive, time-limited services, to increase the frequency of parent-child visitation early in the case. Our team of professionals will include Therapists, Discharge Planners, Initial Assessors, Liaisons, and Parent Peer Support.
Our independent living team will work with youth 14+, creating transition plans and building life skills. A Regional Youth Advisory Council (RYAC)/Kansas Youth Advisory Council (KYAC) liaison will lead activities and collaborate with the educational systems. Education Liaisons will assist the permanency teams by working with the educational systems and individual schools for all children and youth.
Our transportation unit will ensure children have frequent interactions within their home community setting and with their parents and siblings.
Our adoption services team is a centralized resource that will facilitate timely permanencies through adoption when reintegration is not a viable option. Staff members will support the teams through targeted recruitment efforts of adoptive resources and work closely with DCF in coordinating, reviewing, and seeking approval throughout the adoption process.
Our case planning team will have trained coordinators to successfully run either case plan meetings or Team Decision-Making meetings. This team will offer the necessary support to allow the permanency specialists and case managers to engage in the process and utilize the practice model tools while others facilitate the meeting.
Our aftercare services will provide support to all children, youth, and families in the catchment area regardless of their permanency type. Staff providing these services will collaborate with the teams to monitor safety and well-being following permanency.
These staff empower the family to transition out of custody and building bridges within formal and informal community resources.
Yes, on July 1, 2024, EmberHope Connections will manage all referrals, placements, and permanency services in Sedgwick County.
Many children and families will have the same case manager but, in some instances, a new case manager may be assigned. You will receive notification if your case manager assigned is changing before July 1.
We will have an Ombudsman who can be reached at prandle@emberhope.org .
While many things will stay the same, some things will change based on program design and the use of new evidence-based practice models.
Yes, EmberHope Youthville will remain a separate division of EmberHope, Inc., and EmberHope Connections is the new division that will provide case management services only in Sedgwick County.
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As our initiatives expand, so does our team. At the heart of our mission to enhance connections to faith, culture, and family while promoting emotional health lies a passionate and dedicated staff. We’re currently looking for individuals eager to make a significant impact in various capacities across our organization. This is your opportunity to be part of a team committed to ensuring every child has a nurturing home and that youth receive the support they need for successful transitions. Explore our current open positions and find where you fit in our mission. Make a difference!
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