Shanelle and guest Steve Gonyea wrap up their conversation by digging into why many agency-run “support groups” have good intentions, but miss the mark, especially when supervisors or case managers are in the room. Caregivers, parents, and youth will not share real concerns when the people who evaluate them are listening, so the space is not actually supportive. The conversation covers what new and veteran caregivers really need, which are: timely answers, plain language guidance, and safe places to learn how to navigate court, school, medication questions, and after-hours crises.

Shanelle also shares monthly webinar plans, the idea of training after the train wreck, and invites listeners to the 360º Assessment for partners in the family and child welfare system.

Key takeaways

• Support groups must be peer-led or community-hosted with psychological safety, otherwise honest feedback will not surface.

• Practical help beats platitudes, even a fast “no” is better than silence when a caregiver is in crisis.

• Make court understandable and accessible for youth and caregivers, name what to wear, how to address the judge, and how to share information.

• Partner across the ecosystem, families need timely answers, workers need realistic roles, volunteers need clear rules.

Take the SYNCing Child Welfare 360º Assessment today to partner effectively: www.syncingchildwelfare.com!

Steve Gonyea, Co Host, Finding Common Ground

Podcast website: https://www.fcgadvocacy.org/about-steve-gonyea

Sensor Barn solution: A vibrant, calming haven for kids and adults with sensory needs (Spectrum News).

Email: steve_gonyea@yahoo.com

Shanelle sits down with advocate and long-time therapeutic foster parent Steve Goneya to talk about what is not working and what communities can build right now. Steve has welcomed 178 children through respite and high-needs care, fought for supports for high health needs children, and learned the hard truth about bureaucracy, turnover, and waitlists. Instead of waiting, he built solutions: an Autism Barn that became a community hub and an Ability Bus model that partners with veterans to get youth and adults with disabilities to appointments and life-giving activities when agencies do not run nights or weekends. This is part one of the conversation. Links to Steve’s projects and Shanelle’s 360º Assessment are in the show notes.

You will hear

• How years in family care and therapeutic foster care shaped Steve’s approach to high-needs placements
• Why adoption decisions must consider lifelong supports and eligibility, and how delays and paperwork keep youth waiting.
• Community solutions that work now: a private Autism Barn that became a regional resource and an Ability Bus run with veterans that agencies could not replicate due to after-hours gaps.
• Why Steve is organizing storytellers and aged-out youth, meeting legislators, and developing a national transportation initiative with a film partner to seed similar models in other states.

Key takeaways

• Build the environment you wish existed. Small, concrete projects can scale when partners see them working.
• Accountability and support are both true. Families need timely decisions and workers need realistic caseloads and clear roles.
• Community partners can move faster than bureaucracy. Veterans, faith groups, and local donors can fill critical gaps.

Steve Gonyea, Co‑Host, Finding Common Ground

Podcast website: https://www.fcgadvocacy.org/about-steve-gonyea

Sensor Barn solution: A vibrant, calming haven for kids and adults with sensory needs (Spectrum News).

Email: steve_gonyea@yahoo.com

Take the 360º Assessment today to partner effectively: www.syncingchildwelfare.com

What does partnership and collaboration look like in your organization? Often times we focus solely on our role and job- but in the family and child welfare system all the systems matter.

The 360º Assessment is HERE! Take it today to understand…

-Recognize where you fit on the 360º family and child welfare map -Determine how you work with other partners -Gauge how supported or overwhelmed you feel -Access your organization’s readiness to partner and build trust with families

Listeners learn why beginning at the beginning matters, how influence extends beyond agencies that work on cases 90 percent of the time, and how better partnership reduces harm and restores continuity for families.

Who this helps

Caseworkers, supervisors, attorneys, CASA and GAL, foster and kin caregivers, school and healthcare partners, faith and community leaders, mandated reporters, and anyone who influences decisions in the family and child welfare system.

Action Items

- Take the 360º Assessment - it takes about 5 minutes to complete and it can be found at https://syncingchildwelfare.com/360o-assessment/.

- Join the Newsletter to stay updated on the SYNCing Child Welfare Program: HERE