About Skookum Kids
Skookum Kids is a U.S.-based nonprofit that is dedicated to serving and repairing the foster care system in Northwest Washington, Central Washington, and beyond.
Skookum Kids is a U.S.-based nonprofit that is dedicated to serving and repairing the foster care system in Northwest Washington, Central Washington, and beyond. They believe in taking great care of people and allowing the mission to take care of itself once that priority is achieved. The nonprofit also believes in health for all, meaning that no person should ever have to sacrifice their own health to serve kids.
The Skookum House is staffed by volunteers that care for children in their first 72 hours of foster care, giving them a safe place to rest, new clothes, medical care, and most importantly, creating vital time for social workers to review their cases and match them with a foster family.
The nonprofit also provides respite care by licensing respite caregivers and through events like Foster Family Night Out. This allows foster parents to get trusted and trauma informed care for the kids that they care, while they get some time off. Foster parents are also prepared and supported through the ongoing Foster Family Support Groups, and backed by an attentive team of Foster Care Specialists.
Skookum Kids prides its ability to help biological families reunify. They facilitate visitation between kids and their biological families to keep family connections alive and support reunification. In any given year they facilitate hundreds of visits between a child and their biological family, and 87% of the children that come through Skookum Kids eventually reunify with their family of origin.
After five years of growth, Skookum started looking to expand to other communities, outside of Bellingham, that might benefit from the non-profit’s approach. In 2019, they formed an advisory group in the valley to oversee the launch of a second location in Central Washington, where they have continued to support the wellbeing of kids and parents in the foster care system.