The Promoting Permanency for Pregnant and Parenting Youth program’s goal is to minimize the number of placement changes pregnant and parenting youth experience while in foster care by providing caregivers with the education, skills, and resources needed to support them.

According to Chapin Hall Center, young women in foster care are more than twice as likely to get pregnant than their non-system-involved peers. Approximately 30 percent of young women in care have been pregnant more than once, and one-third of young women in care give birth before the age of 16. Beyond these numbers, there is very little known about pregnant and parenting young women in foster care in the United States. Even less is known about young fathers in the system. This lack of understanding about the population often leads to youth feeling unsupported and misunderstood, while caregivers feel ill-equipped to support youth during this pivotal period in their lives, partially contributing to maladaptive behaviors that lead to placement changes.

Research indicates that youth that have multiple or unstable placements experience more difficulty forming healthy and meaningful attachments, delayed time to permanency, poorer educational outcomes, and increased behavioral and mental health issues (Casey Family Programs, 2023). Conversely, stable placements demonstrably have the positive impact of providing youth with consistency, predictability, and stability that promotes healthy and prosocial attachments with caring adults, which help them thrive.  Moreover, youth who experience more stable placements and less frequent moves have been shown to have improved timeliness to permanency.

Since 1897, Florence Crittenton Programs of SC (FCPSC) has provided hope, safety, and opportunity to pregnant and parenting young women. Our maternity group home located in Charleston, SC has been home to more than 10,000 women and children who have suffered abandonment, abuse, and poverty. As the state’s only licensed maternity group home serving minors, FCPSC regularly receives referrals for young women whose foster care placements have been disrupted during pregnancy. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by this demographic, FCPSC has received a grant from the SC Department of Social Services to develop a specialized training program for foster parents/staff, kinship caregivers, parents, and group home providers that can be delivered in-person or online in a self-paced learning environment. 

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite businesses who specialize in training and curriculum development to submit proposals to support the development of a multi-module training program on behalf of FCPSC. Our goal for this training program is to increase permanency for pregnant and parenting teens in foster care by increasing awareness about their hopes, challenges, and needs.

FCPSC anticipates issuing a single contract not to exceed $185,250.

The initial term of the contract is anticipated to begin July 8, 2024, and end on June 1, 2025.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

RFP Issue Date: 
June 1, 2024

Proposal Due Date:
June 23, 2024

RFP Official Contact:
Cheryl O’Donnell, Executive Director
Phone: 843-722-7526 ext. 102