A Christian Response To Foster Care: A Paradigm Shift

This dissertation proposes to improve the health of youth in foster care by
extending and enhancing their care just before and after they age out of the child welfare
system. A nonprofit has been incorporated, Sheltered Path, Inc., for the specific purpose
of implementing this plan. The plan is rooted in an incarnational model of ministry,
providing for the staff, faculty, and students to interact in ways that will model Jesus'
work with his disciples. By living incarnationally among the youth in foster care, adults
will be able to nurture these students emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
The program is designed in two stages (therapeutic admission and residential
education), with three distinctive divisions (a ranch, a manor, and a charter school). The
comprehensive distinctive nature of Sheltered Path, as compared to other programs, is
that it combines therapy, placement, and education designed specifically for foster
children integrating all three divisions under one umbrella organization.
Stage One of Sheltered Path, the admissions stage, is the therapeutic component,
called the Ranch. It will serve twenty youth at a time and has the specific purpose of
helping them heal from the trauma of their past, using Restorative Therapy, and
determining if each of them is able to successfully function in a group setting.
Stage Two consists of a residential facility, the Manor, and an on-site charter
school. These provide a long-term placement option for older foster children as well as
an individually tailored education that allows students to progress academically toward
their full potential. Both vocational and college preparation work will be done, both
during the scheduled school hours and integrated with other activities, providing each
student the opportunity to develop future plans that are satisfying and productive.