Everyone Can Play a Part
We desperately need more foster and adoptive families, but change doesn’t stop there. We know the task can be overwhelming, so we have identified 5 major areas of need within the foster care system. When there is adequate support and volunteers within all these 5 categories, then we can confidently say that we are working to solve the foster care crisis. What role will you play?
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After ensuring safety, the State’s top priority is to return children to their families
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The child welfare system alone cannot meet the needs of children and families. DFPS partners and local congregations are needed to help develop ministries
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Over half the children in care will return to their biological families
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Many children in foster care have parents who were also in foster care
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In 2021, there were over 1,600 children in foster care in Travis County alone
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More than a third of foster children have two or more placements each year
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Children in care move an average of 6 times
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Moving and inconsistent care causes trauma in addition to the child’s original abusive environment
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Adoption from the foster care system costs little to nothing
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Minority ethnic group children over 2 years old have a greater risk of aging out of the system than being adopted
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More than half of the adoptions from Texas foster care were by relatives
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All children will have trauma, but they can reach dramatic levels of healing with trauma-informed parenting
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There are many opportunities to serve foster and adoptive families including babysitting certification, CASA, meals, mentoring, prayer, financial support for camps, sports, backpack drives, compassion for foster/adoption families, etc.
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Healing can take place through trauma-informed, nurturing, long-term relationships
- At the age of 18, teens are given the option to remain in foster care until they are 21 or they can leave care
- Up to 40% of youth experience homelessness within the first year of aging out and 20% become instantly homeless
- 70% are pregnant by their 21st birthday
- 1 in 5 foster youth are incarcerated by the time they are 19
Find Your Role
Families are the primary source of healing for hurting children. Whether you’re a foster or adoptive parent or want to support those who are, your role is vital to fostering hope and healing in the life of a child with difficult beginnings.
Brett Millican, Adoptive Dad
Fostering Hope has given me the confidence and tools to be confident on how I can lead [my child] through her moments in a way that connects, instead of getting frustrated
Beverly Morris, Kinship Guardian
Once I started taking classes with Fostering Hope and I learned to deal with their behavioral issues, that's when everything changed.