Foster Mom Keeps Families Engaged with Their Children While in Foster Care

March 23, 2023

Port St. Lucie - Foster parent Ilena Hones is committed to helping families stay connected while their children are in foster care.

It’s an important practice in the child-welfare community called co-parenting, and Hones excels at it by keeping families engaged in their children’s lives.

“Ilena promotes parent-child relationships and modeling, and she invites the parent to be part of the child’s life,” said Maria Gonzalez, a dependency case manager who nominated the caregiver.

Communities Connected for Kids is the organization that oversees and coordinates the child-welfare community in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. Recently, it awarded Hones its quarterly Going the Extra Mile – or GEM – award for her dedication and advocacy for the children in her home, particularly in regard to co-parenting.

She won in the Topaz category, which is a special GEM award reserved for caregivers.

“Co-parenting reminds us that our children deserve quality parenting every day,” said Jerra Wisecup, CCKids Licensing and Caregiver Support Specialist, who also coordinates the area’s Quality Parenting Initiative. “To ensure this occurs, each member of a child’s team – especially family members – work to prioritize not just child safety but also child well-being.”

For Ilena, it’s about helping others.

“We choose this role because we care deeply for others and want the best outcome for them,” she said. “The award is very much appreciated, but the real award is getting to love these amazing children and their families.”

If you would like information about becoming a foster parent, please call (772) 873-7800, and ask for Jerra Wisecup, or visit our site here.