PLATINUM2023

Family Preservation Foundation Inc

Saving Children, Educating Parents & Reuniting Families

Piscataway, NJ   |  http://familypreservationfoundation.org

Mission

FPF is a national organization dedicated to the idea of saving American children from the unwarranted and unnecessary removal from the family home. Psychiatrist, Doctors, and field experts agree that family separation traumatizes children and their families. We desire to protect and save the children, while preserving parental rights. Our desire is to save our children, and alleviate the trauma associated with these unwarranted separations when there is no evidence of harm, immediate threat of, or future threat of harm to the child, when it's safe to do so. We desire restore the respect for parents and children's rights through advocacy and litigation.

Ruling year info

2018

Executive Director

Mr. Dwight David Mitchell

Main address

371 Hoes Lane Suite 200

Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

83-0976811

NTEE code info

Children's Rights (R28)

Minority Rights (R22)

Family Services (P40)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Family Preservation Foundation, Inc. (FPF), is a national public interest organization dedicated to the idea of saving children from unwarranted family separation, parental rights, family preservation, family first ideology, and restoring the respect for children’s rights through litigation on the parental rights and preservation of the family unit. In June of 2018, 540 organizations from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico which have well-recognized expertise in the fields of child welfare, juvenile justice and child health, development and safety, reported that the separation of children from their parents will have significant and long-lasting consequences for the safety, health, development, and well-being of children. https://www.childrensdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-welfare-juvenile.pdf We started in Minnesota. Over 66% of the children and their families are unrepresented during child-welfare proceedings due to legal aid shortage.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Children's Safety and Family Reunification Plan

American children are being unnecessarily separated from their families and traumatized. Over 9 million children have been forcibly separated from their parents in the past 20 years as reported in the federal government AFCARS reports. Currently most states do not provide attorneys to children in family or juvenile court in child welfare proceedings. Children's and parental rights are being violated daily.  FPF seeks to fill this gap. Working  domestically, Family Preservation Foundation desires to save the children and defend their rights, and those of their parents through litigation by providing private pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way to the United States Supreme Court for all children so that can remain with their loving families when it's safe to do so.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Often times families struggle with or are required to participate in family counseling after a crisis strikes. We will evaluate family preservation oriented counselors and pay for counseling services. This program will be offered in conjunction with other well-being case management services.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Families

Current supportive services for families to either recover from a crisis or the help lift families out of poverty are designed to meet regulatory requirements. In an effort to properly manage tax payer funding, a lot of family supportive organizations and agency have left out the need to address the family bonding experience from a practical view point. Studies have shown for decades the importance of family bonding time. This program will utilize community partnerships and corporate sponsorships to provide families with opportunities and resources to experience family bonding.

Population(s) Served
Families

Our services can also extend to pro bono services to families. While families are going through legal challenges, often times families overlook attorneys who may not have their best interest in mind. We will work to evaluate attorneys and their practice to make sure families are:
1. Receiving representation from a family preservation oriented attorney (interested in the family resolving their legal issues over continuing services for future business success)
2. Being represented by an attorney that is fully competent and engaging in attorney best practices

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Families

Organizational skills are often overlooked in the health of people. We will be partnering with local organization consultants to help families review lifestyle changes. We will provide any tools or products necessary in order to maintain those lifestyle changes. Consultations will be long term to ensure the best opportunity for success.

Population(s) Served
Families
Adults

Families can often struggle if a lack of communication and empathy is a common family practice. Sometimes families have great communication skills but have difficulty navigating through outside agencies that practice poor communication skills. With this program we will provide resources for those families to gain the skills necessary to navigate through a crisis with better communication skills.

Population(s) Served
Families
Adults

Through years of data gathering we have identified 50 markets across the country that where family services are under served to the community. Federal tax payer dollars are allocated appropriately but administered to locally elected officials who have failed to meet the communities requirements for social change. We will reach out to those families, letting them know we are a resources that is available online that can provide services they are looking for.

Population(s) Served
Families
Adults

In conjunction with our grass roots outreach, we will continue to provide online video education to families on a yearly basis. Families will be targeted based on predefined areas that represent the most need.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children the organization de-registered from the child protection register

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Children's Safety and Family Reunification Plan

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

The Family Preservation Foundation is a not-for-profit, national public interest organization dedicated to the idea of rescuing children from unwarranted forced parental separation.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

FPF seeks provide the staff lawyers and legal assistance to low-income children and families. There is a need to reduce the number of children in foster care as well as the disparity in Minnesota and other states. FPF's mission is to eliminate or reduce out-of-home placement, and to keep children with their parents whenever possible, if it's safe to do so. Having a good lawyer representing the children's and parents’ interests increases the chances of keeping a family together.

Studies also suggest that when parents have a good lawyer, it reduces the amount of time children spend in foster care and remaining home with their loving parents. The Center for Family Representation, which connects lawyers who specialize in child-welfare law with social workers and parent advocates in New York City, found that children whose parents they helped stayed in foster care a little over five months, compared to a citywide average of nearly a year.

The litigation strategy representing children and their families is simple, focused and straight forward. We plan on fighting for the children's rights as well as those of the parents. We have an adversarial legal system in each state and all CPS allegations will have to be substantiated in court. This practice has died in the current eco-system and we mean to resurrect it to insure due process. FPF seeks to fill the lack of legal representation gap from Emergency Protective Hearing to Trial.

FPF is a data driven organization. We will define our results based upon annually provided statics published in the Out-of-Home Placement report and the number of children we rescue from, or prevent from entering, the failing foster care system. With 6-7 full-time staff lawyers we estimate we can handle 144+ CPS cases per year from inception through the first trial. By most state statues, the trial for adjudication to out-of-home placement / foster care must take place in under 60 days after the child is removed from the home.

We have a excellent legal management team, as well as a fantastic Board of Advisors. We place heavy emphasis on implementing excellent business practices, constantly seeking innovative solutions, employee & client satisfaction.

After 4-months of legal battle, the association won its inaugural trial against Minnesota Child Protection Services on when the judge returned Amanda Weber’s son after removing him from her care when he was 10-months old based on disinformation. Please see the Fox News Broadcast; https://youtu.be/_8SkVnxc820

We will continue with our proven and successful legal strategy to save children from the foster care system.

The founder, Dwight Mitchell, knows how to run a successful organization. His international management consulting firm Mitchell & Associates, Inc. has been in business for 25-years and received reference letters from the top organizations in the world. For example, Merck,
Mobile, CHS, and the City of Pittsburgh to name a few. Please see the link for recent reference letters. http://www.maaimcs.com/success-stories.html

Our number one priority is to keep children out of the failing foster care system and with their families whenever possible!

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome

Financials

Family Preservation Foundation Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Family Preservation Foundation Inc

Board of directors
as of 02/01/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Dwight Mitchell

Family Preservation Foundation, Inc

Term: 2017 - 2022

Blanche LaVonne Mitchell

RN-BSN, Retired

Joanna Nitchell

Family Preservation Foundation

Erick G Kaardal

Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson, P.A.

Steven Carrano

Carrano Air Contracting

Grace Locsin-Schultz

Mini Delights

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/24/2020
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/24/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.