Ken Keefe has been named the Vice Chair of the Illinois Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council.
Keefe, who has fostered children in his home for six years, joined the council three years ago after witnessing the bureaucracy involved with children in the foster care system.
“You would think that everyone could just use a golden rule and do what’s best for these children, but the bureaucracy is very thick in these types of agencies,” Keefe said.
The council is comprised of foster parents and child welfare employees from across the state. They come together to discuss foster care issues that are endemic to the state and form opinions that are shared with the Director of Child and Family Services (DCFS) each month.
“We also work with state legislators a little bit to understand how different legislation will impact foster care,” Keefe said.
A recent fostering issue focused on pools on the property of foster care homes.
“A lot of really good foster parents were losing their licenses because it was simply too costly for them to add this type of fencing,” Keefe said. “We sent suggestions and an explanation of the problem to the director of DCFS and the policy forming unit in DCFS; they listened to our changes and are working on a remedy for that issue.
“It’s a variety of things we work on, but it really does have a direct impact on fostering families in Illinois. Every time there is a rule change, you run the risk that really great foster families will not be able to serve children in need.”
Aside from the bureaucracy, Keefe said many adults do not become foster parents because they worry that the children will be wild or unmanageable.
But Keefe has had a different experience.
“Pretty much every kid that I’ve encountered, certainly every kid that has been in my home, are usually just scared and they won’t tell you this, but they want some structure, they want to feel safe and loved, and that’s really all you have to provide them.
“They don’t need a parent that is at every PTO meeting, who is always baking cookies, they just need someone who will give them some routine, some support, some room to feel safe, and when you think about it, that’s not that challenging.”
From a young age, Keefe and his wife, Jen, felt like they could draw from the experiences they had as children and give that to children who grow up in different circumstances.
“When I was a kid, I always wanted brothers,” he said. “My closest sibling is six-years older than me. I always wanted siblings closer in age.
“I talked to my parents about the possibility of doing foster care or adoption. I was very blessed that I felt like my family would be a great place to have other kids.”
When Keefe was in college, he met Jen, whose family fostered children as she was in high school.
“We both talked about it, and decided it was something we’d like to do when we became “real” adults.”
It wasn’t long after the two were married that they began classes to become foster parents.
“We both wanted to independently,” Keefe said. “Then when we got together it was a done deal. We wanted to open our home to these kids. We feel very lucky that we had the incredible parents that we did; that we had the incredible support that we did. We talk about how lucky we were all the time.
“It’s sad to me that so many people, and especially children are born into situations that make their lives so much harder, so much more painful, so much more dangerous. If I can give those children even a month’s break from that difficult life, I’m happy to.”
Of the eight children in Keefe’s care, he said seven were there because of no fault of their own.
“All failed by their parents or the system.
“If I can help ease that suffering and provide them with a normal childhood, one that is as normal as we can make it, I will be very happy.”
Keefe enjoys getting the children involved in recreational sports, if they are interested, or providing them with opportunities they are interested in doing.
One issue the advisory council is working on is making sure the children can pursue their interests even when they are in foster care.
“We are working towards a more common sense approach to foster care in our state,” he said.
“We’d like to cut through the red tape that does things like keep a child from taking dance classes because they have to go to a certain number of visits with their family in another city.”
“There are all sorts of rules that I’m sure they had the best intention when they came up with these rules, but in the end, it’s hurting the family that you’re trying to reunify and it’s hurting the children that you’re trying to protect.”
While fostering isn’t for everyone, Keefe said there are many other ways community members can get involved in the well-being of foster children.
If an adult can’t make a long-term commitment, becoming a licensed foster parent will give them the opportunity to provide respite care for children. Keefe said the temporary care is often used when the foster family has an emergency, and the foster child needs a place to stay for a few days.
Keefe also encourages adults to become a mentor at the Boys and Girls Club or the Mahomet Area Youth Club.
Foster families also need help in providing for the foster children.
“It’s a very challenging experience to get a new foster child because sometimes they call you and say, ‘We want to bring this new child over in a few hours.
“And I can tell you there have been many times where I have called my wife and said, ‘I’ll go get the car seats from Walmart, you get the diapers, we’ll get the formula, and that will be enough for a couple days. We will go get jammies later.”
“We are experienced foster parents. We’ve built up a reserve for every age and gender at our house. If you have clothes that are in good shape, drop them off at the DCFS office in Urbana.”
At the risk of sounding cliche, Keefe said adults need to pull together for children because “they are the future.”
“They are the ones who will make our communities strong,” he said. “If I want our community to thrive, I want to look at the people who are going to be living here and running it in the future, and I think that that’s why I focus on children.”
