May is National Foster Care Month. Currently, there are over 368,000 children in foster care in the United States. Of those, 108,000 are waiting to be adopted. The reasons these children are not able to return to their homes vary, but most were removed as a result of abuse and neglect. It is imperative these children land with caregivers who have a special understanding of the trauma and difficulties children in the child welfare system have faced.
The need for loving foster parents always exists. Foster parents can be compassionate strangers or someone the child already knows. Studies show that when that foster parent is a neighbor, an extended family member or someone from an existing social network, children fare better. Foster children already face an immense amount of difficulty recovering from the trauma of being removed from their home. When they are placed with someone they know and trust, they immediately receive a built-in network of support. Hephzibah Foster Care teams works with each child we serve to find the best placement for them, whether it be someone they already know or not.
When a child and a foster parent are connected, Hephzibah provides the foster family with all the supports and services they need to thrive. These services include:
- 24/7 emergency support for foster children and parents
- Licensing services for potential foster parents
- Assistance in registering for required foster parent training
- Monthly parents-night-out childcare services for foster parents
- Support groups for foster parenting racially diverse families
- Safety, CPR and other certifications
- Micro-learnings for foster parents on caring for children who’ve experienced trauma
- Training for foster parents in educational readiness and advocating for their foster child, teaching them about early intervention, IEP and 504 plans
- Courses on teen and preteen development
- Referrals to parent networks that also foster and provide support to each other
No matter where a foster parent or child is on their journey, Hephzibah is right beside them, providing all the support and care they need to navigate the complicated child welfare system in order to heal and flourish.
Register today for our upcoming virtual Foster Parent Info Session.