Revival of Angel's Watch Program provides a lifeline for Western North Carolina families

A program to help families that are in crisis is relaunching in Western North Carolina.

The Angel’s Watch Program is made possible through the nonprofits Caring for Children and Eckerd Connects.

It’s a voluntary program dedicated to supporting children up to 10 years old during family crises and finding temporary placement for them in licensed host homes for up to 90 days. The program was in effect until 2018, when it, unfortunately, lost funding. But, now it's back.

Caring for Children Executive Director Amy Hobson said the key goal of the program is to keep children out of the foster care system by providing a safe place for them to stay while parents deal with their emergencies.

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For parents in crisis, that could mean dealing with things like housing instability, medical emergencies, mental health challenges and substance use disorder treatment.

“To really fill in that gap of services," Hobson said of the Angel’s Watch Program. "Parents reach out to us or doctors, law enforcement, mental health practitioners."

Hobson said families are matched with host homes at no cost to the families.

The goal is to keep children out of county child welfare services.

“They don’t want to reach out to DSS because they’re still the parent, they’re still the guardian but they’re not getting the treatment they need in order to strengthen their family and deal with those issues,” Hobson said.

Angel’s Watch helps children stay with host families instead.

“The parent gets the treatment they need so they come out and they’re able to be healthier for their child. Therefore, the child's not going to go into the foster care system because they have a parent that’s dealt with whatever the challenges they’re dealing with,” Hobson said.

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Hobson said more host homes are always needed.

Anyone over the age of 21 who is willing to go through a training program is eligible to be a host.

“The requirements once again are that you have an open heart and you really have a feeling that you recognize that you want to support these kiddos so they don’t go into foster care,” Hobson said.

The program is accepting referrals and expects to have its first placement on March 1.

Hobson called Angel's Watch a lifesaving program made possible through Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, who pushed for the funding.

“When I started doing research, getting feedback, this was the direction I went to help serve that need in our community, and that’s where I put resources to do,” Balkcom said.

The program not only keeps children out of the foster system, it also allows parents to have as much contact with their children as they want and children can stay in their schools and see their friends.

“It’s kind of like when you’re in the airplane and we hear that announcement about the oxygen coming down. You’re supposed to put that mask on yourself first before your child. We know we’re supposed to do that, but it’s really hard. And this enables people to take that oxygen mask on themselves knowing that their child is being taken care of,” Hobson said.

Angel’s Watch Director Wendy Segars Jensen said the program helps alleviate stress while keeping families together.

“We will always have children in need, and so the more families we can get, the more kids we can serve,” she said.

Click here to learn more about Angel’s Watch.