Neighbor to Neighbor
Program Features & Successes

In the early 1990’s, the staff at Hull House set out to design a model of foster care to specifically deal with the unique needs of siblings. The foster care model that emerged challenged most of the assumptions of the traditional foster care system.

In 1994, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) approved funding for a pilot project for sibling foster care. The Neighbor to Neighbor program was designed specifically to keep sibling groups together in stable foster placements while working intensively with birth families.

Unique Program Features

• Comprehensive continuum of case management, clinical and family advocacy services
• Children, youth and families in our program receive needed therapeutic services shortly after admission into our program
• Homes specifically for siblings or adolescent youth
• Comprehensive wrap-around services
• Professional foster caregivers
• Community-based approach
• Aggressive outreach to birth parents and extended family
• Team-based approach to case work
• Therapeutic model of foster care
• Effective training and support
• Case Managers, Family Advocates, Therapists, Family Development Specialists and an Educational Liaison are assigned to work in teams with the foster and birth parents

Program Successes

Neighbor to Neighbor has consistently outperformed national averages in:

• Keeping sibling groups of 4 or more together
• Retaining foster caregivers
• Providing stability and achieving reunification and adoption with minimal recidivism

Click below to find more information on:

• Eligibility Criteria
• Foster Parent Guidelines
• Neighbor to Neighbor (Sibling Foster Care)
• Youth Connections (Adolescent Foster Care)

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