Durham County program helps families stay together and avoid foster care

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Durham County program is helping families stay together, preventing children from entering foster care while ensuring they receive necessary care and support.

18 families are currently part of the Guardian Assistance Program, simply known as GAP. The initiative provides an alternative to the foster system by placing children with trusted family members who are willing to become their permanent guardians.

For Queena Clyburn, it's a decision that changed her life.

Raising children wasn't in her plans, but when her niece was just 8 months old and facing challenges at home, Clyburn stepped in. She eventually became her niece's permanent guardian.

"I am her auntie-mommy. I do all the things. I am her aunt, I am her mom when she needs it," Clyburn told ABC11. "I just wouldn't trade it for anything. She's my best friend. She's my girl."

Launched in 2008, GAP -- unlike traditional foster care placements -- allows biological parents to identify a trusted family member who might be a suitable guardian. The county then conducts assessments and background checks before finalizing the placement.

"At the time that this program was developed, the number of children in foster care was extremely high," said Shontelle A. Smith, program manager for CPS In-Home and Prevention Services. "This was a way for us to really combat children entering foster care unnecessarily."

This process helps children maintain a connection to their biological families, something that's much harder to maintain in the traditional foster care system.

"(The children) know, 'hey, my mom or my dad made this plan for me. They said they couldn't take care of me, couldn't provide for my well-being and my safety. So, they identified someone that could," Smith said.

The Durham Co. program also provides support and resources to guardians like Clyburn. Each has a dedicated program coordinator, and they can attend regular support group meetings that cover a range of topics related to parenting.

"It is the program that stands in the 'gap' for you," Clybum said.

This support could be as simple as helping with clothing.

"They grow so fast. Nobody told me, literally from winter to fall to spring," Clyburn said. "I'm like, 'oh, my God, she's grown two sizes.'"

Though it may not have been her original plan, Clyburn says becoming her niece's legal guardian gave her life new meaning.

"I did not know that as a single person with no children, that I was just living," she said. "Now I'm living and thriving. I am helping someone else. I am casting vision and giving direction to our next generation, and just know that it's bigger than you."