Family Support Services - Christina Needham

Family Support Services Transformation Success

Christina Needham, the Community Engagement Specialist at Family Support Services, explains that her organization took over as the lead agency for foster care, adoption, and family preservation services for Pasco & Pinellas counties in 2022, reducing the number of children in foster care from 2,670 to 1,035 (a 61% reduction) in 3.5 years. She highlights their focus on four priorities: permanency, placement, preservation, and people, with preservation being the most significant difference. Christina describes how their teams now work with child protective investigators to help families that are considered safe but at-risk of separation, to navigate resources, address root causes like housing instability or anger management, and keep families together, when possible, sometimes by involving extended family rather than immediately separating children from their homes.

Foster Care Community Support Initiatives

Christina explains her role in community engagement, providing normalcy for children in care through events like back-to-school drives, Thanksgiving nonperishables, and Christmas gifts, ensuring they receive quality items to maintain their dignity. The Community Engagement Department also organizes a foster parent appreciation event each year, most recently, a Western-themed game and activity day of fun to help foster parents feel valued for their important role.

Community Support for Vulnerable Families

Christina discusses her organization's focus on connecting with local communities to help families meet basic needs. She invites attendees to an upcoming open house on Monday, August 18^th, 2025, from 8:30a-10a, at 8560 Ulmerton Rd, Largo. FSS is a nonprofit, currently in a stable and healthy financial position, with the Community Engagement Department actively pursuing grants, community partnerships, and in-kind donations to support normalcy initiatives and supplement state funds. Christina mentions that they started in Duval County in 2001 and expanded to Pasco & Pinellas in 2022. She also describes their mentorship program for high-risk youth, which builds trust through consistent adult interaction to create stability.

Foster Care Support and Challenges

Christina shares her background in child welfare. She started as a volunteer at a foster closet in 2012, where she was later hired on after getting her B.A. in Sociology with a focus on women, children, & families. This eventually led to her joining Family Support Services in her current role. She discusses the challenges children in foster care face. Christina confirms there are seven foster homes in Dunedin. She invites our group to participate in upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas drives, where they can sponsor children's wish lists or donate gifts for a "store" where families can select presents at no cost. She mentions they need volunteers to help with the Christmas event. She also highlights that they are always looking for families willing to foster.

If interested in volunteering, making a donation, and/or learning more about becoming a foster parent, you can reach out to Christina at christina.needham@fsssuncoast.org.