The half million kids in foster care don’t call attention to themselves. Neither do the many adults who watch out for them: their foster parents, social workers, teachers, grandparents, legal advocates, therapists, tutors, pastors, dentists, after-school employers, youth-activity volunteers, and family friends.
Yet they’re all responding with quiet courage and determination in the aftermath of a terrible loss—the loss of a family pulled apart because it is no longer able to protect and raise its own children.
The everyday world of foster care
The kids in foster care and the adults committed to helping them are accomplishing good (and sometimes remarkable) results.
On any given day, kids in foster care do what all kids do. They play in Little League and soccer, chafe at homework, discover a hidden talent, get in trouble, dream about the future, and test adults’ rules and patience. Their foster families do what all stable families do: they listen, watch, guide, worry, plan, worship, and hope.
Together the kids, the parents, and the community that cares about them are working to prepare youth for a good life—to get a good education, to find fulfilling work, to build a strong family, to create a network of caring friends and supporters.
The front-page news stories about children falling through the cracks of an overburdened child-welfare system are doubly heartbreaking.
The kids rebuilding their lives in foster care and the adults caring for them read those news stories. They mourn the lost child as one of their own. They also feel labeled, at best, as helpless victims and hapless incompetents doomed to failure.
Taking effective action
When you read one of those news stories, feel outraged and angry and call for accountability. We must ensure the safety and well-being of every single young person in out-of-home care.
At the same time, please remember the quiet, daily heroism of kids in foster care and their caring adults. They need your encouragement to keep doing the good work they do. And they deserve your active support.
Because when we—as responsible adults and as a caring society—act to help the children in greatest need, we help all children and families.
On behalf of Casey Family Programs, I invite you to learn about the resilient youth and generous adults we serve. I also encourage you to:
- Act locally: Find out how your neighborhood school looks out for kids in foster care and their families.
- Act regionally: Examine impacts of governmental budgets on services to children.
- Collaborate creatively: Join with other professionals, communities, and agencies to put foster care issues on the agenda.
William Bell
President and CEO
Casey Family Programs