Foster Care Technologies awarded contract for state of Maine
LAWRENCE – A matching system powered by University of Kansas research has improved outcomes for thousands of children in foster care across the United States. Now the technology will help children in Maine find their forever homes through a partnership with the statewide adoption program.
The online tool is called ECAP (Every Child a Priority), and it empowers social workers to determine the most compatible placements for children based on their needs and the characteristics of available foster families. The company behind ECAP – Lawrence-based Foster Care Technologies – won a contract with Spurwink, a behavioral health and education services organization, to provide adoption matching for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Starting Aug. 1, Spurwink will use ECAP to help guide the placements of all the children in Maine’s adoption program.
Although ECAP is now being used in seven states – including Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington – this will be its first statewide implementation.
“Every child deserves stability, security and unconditional love. As advocates for children in the state of Maine who are in need of a forever family, it is our responsibility to use the best available tools to identify the best available matches,” said Candace Rowell, director of foster care at Spurwink. “We are pleased to collaborate with Foster Care Technologies and are confident that ECAP’s advanced matching capabilities will help Maine’s waiting children.”
Read the full article: http://news.ku.edu/ku-backed-software-expanding-match-children-adoptive-families
