Foster care advocates improve the lives of children in foster care. Learn about the importance of foster care advocacy and how you can make a difference.
Foster care is based on compassion, offering a safe and nurturing place to be for children who are unable to stay with their birth families.
This network of dedicated people is made up of caseworkers, advocates, and foster families with the shared goal of protecting and supporting kids in foster care. They uplift and care for children in times of need and difficulty.
There are many opportunities to make a difference through foster care advocacy, support, or just raising awareness. You can help improve the lives of children in foster care as well as the families who open their hearts and homes to them.
If you’re looking for a meaningful way to give back, consider becoming a foster care advocate. Your heart, voice, and time can bring hope to kids in foster care and their caregivers.
Over 350,000 children in the U.S. are in foster care. These children make up a vulnerable population, and many have experienced trauma, instability, and isolation.
Every child deserves to feel safe, secure, and loved. This is just part of why foster care advocacy matters so much. Kids in foster care frequently struggle with a sense of permanence and belonging, feelings often reinforced by their experiences.
For example, many children in foster care are given a plastic garbage bag to tote their things from one place to another. Though it may seem practical, this is a heartbreaking image. It gives the message that they are “disposable” or without value as individuals.
In addition, kids in foster care often worry about making a mistake, saying the “wrong” thing, or expressing their true feelings. This can come from a fear of not fitting in or being relocated — pressures that no child should experience.
This level of instability and worry can have lasting effects on development, functioning, and school performance for children in foster care. Sadly, many age out of foster care unprepared for adulthood, facing unemployment, homelessness, and other serious challenges.
The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP) notes that in at least nine states, fewer than half of kids in foster care graduate from high school in four years. Falling through the educational cracks limits opportunities for college, trade programs, and career tracks.
Oversight, policy innovation, and support are necessary to improve low graduation rates and other poor adult outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Foster care advocacy supports and promotes the best interests of children, families, and organizations involved in foster care. Advocates can help bring awareness so kids in foster care experience dignity, respect, and acceptance.
Such advocacy can also lead to corrections in the system, helpful resources, and positive changes so that kids in foster care can lead the healthy, successful lives they deserve.
The foster care system as a whole benefits from people who are willing to raise awareness, volunteer their skills and time, and work to bring about positive change and better resources. This includes children in foster care, foster families, and related organizations.
Foster care advocacy is also an investment in society as a whole. It represents progress in caring for and improving the lives of people in need — with positive effects that can ripple outward.
Advocating for children in foster care can have a life-changing and lasting impact. They often do not have a direct voice or form of influence as to where they live and other aspects of their lives.
Over one-third of children in foster care go through more than three placements. From infants to older teenagers, these kids deserve loving care, safe and healthy environments, a strong sense of belonging, and opportunities for a bright future.
Children in foster care have often experienced trauma and faced complex situations that are hard to understand. Here are just some examples of what a kid in foster care may be exposed to:
Kids in foster care receive support from foster parents, social workers, organizational employees, and others who are concerned with their well-being. However, the needs of foster care too often outweigh available resources and services. And limited support can’t match the security of knowing a parent is there to love, protect, and consistently be in your corner.
Advocacy for children in foster care can fill these gaps, creating opportunities for a better quality of life and more positive outcomes.
Many people are not fully aware of the responsibilities and expectations faced by foster parents and their families.
These individuals open their homes to kids in need, providing safety and care until more permanent solutions are available. Like all forms of parenting, foster parenting can take physical and emotional tolls during the best of times.
Addressing the unique experiences of these dedicated foster parents broadens their access to helpful resources and assistance that include:
The more advocacy on behalf of foster parents, the better able they will be to connect with, empower, and care for children in need.
There are foster organizations across the country with staff dedicated to providing support and services to kids in foster care and foster families.
They collaborate to ensure foster home safety, perform background checks, and work to carefully match children in foster care with foster parents when possible.
Like many others involved in child welfare and social services, foster organizations are often constrained by limited means and workforce, and bureaucratic obstacles.
As a result, they benefit from advocacy that facilitates greater access to resources, broader public awareness, and support from all sectors in society. Advocates who work for foster care organizations can positively impact the entire foster care system and beyond.
There are many ways to advocate for children in foster care and support foster families. Opportunities to make a difference in these lives are available no matter where you live.
Whether you plan to devote a significant amount of time and energy or you wish to start slowly, your support of foster care will be meaningful and rewarding.
Advocacy starts with education. From understanding the foster parent experience to learning about programs in your area for kids in foster care, you can begin to get a picture of how the system operates.
This can also include researching policies and reading stories of foster families and kids in foster care.
Elizabeth Murrell, a foster parent in Maryland, provides insight in her letter:
"We have opened our hearts and our home because we believe that every child deserves a loving and nurturing environment."
Volunteers make up a large percentage of foster care advocates. These individuals devote their time, skills, and efforts to support foster care organizations, foster parents, and children in foster care.
Here are just some ways you can make a difference as a volunteer in foster care advocacy:
Volunteering in any capacity as an advocate and supporter of foster care is a chance to further empower those who meet the needs of children in foster care and the kids themselves.
Your contribution may bring anything from a smile to stress relief to inspiration for greater change.
Some people see “advocacy” as taking political action around government policy. If you’re looking for a broader way to support foster care, this is an option worth considering.
By taking a civic approach, getting involved in public policy and reform, you can influence change at a higher level.
Those interested in this form of advocacy may attend town hall meetings, contact government representatives, or even join national organizations with the mission of improving child welfare and bringing about positive change within the foster care system. Collective voices and actions can have an enormous impact.
For example, you may find local committees or other groups with like-minded passionate people who advocate on behalf of children in foster care and those who serve their best interests.
Placing focus on foster care awareness, education, and activism can lead to better resources, greater support, and even advances in legal policies.
If you’re a foster parent or someone who works closely with children, you have a unique opportunity to make a difference in their lives by showing that you believe in them and their future.
Tacole Robinson, a foster parent with Mentor Foster Care, expresses the rewarding feelings as an advocate for these children:
"I just love to see how wonders can happen and how we can be in awe of what can happen when children are nurtured, when they're supported, where they're loved."
Foster parents can provide love, security, and guidance when kids in foster care need it most. They can also be champions and heroes, improving the lives and futures of children in their care.
Here is just some of what foster parents can do for kids in foster care.
Foster parents play an important role in advocating for the health and well-being of the child in their care. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that about 50% of children in foster care have chronic physical issues due to inconsistent health care and treatment.
It’s essential that kids in foster care attend medical, dental, mental health, and other appointments such as those for therapeutic care. This ensures that their needs are met for healthy growth and development.
Emotional well-being is another way foster parents can advocate for kids in foster care. Many of these children have experienced various forms of trauma, putting their emotional health at risk.
Here are some ways you can advocate for and support the well-being of the child in your care:
If you suspect the child in your care is struggling with their physical, emotional, or mental health, consult a proper professional. In addition, let them know that you care about their well-being and that they can depend on you.
One of the strongest ways you can advocate for the child in your care is by supporting their education. The U.S. Department of Education emphasizes the importance of a positive school experience for these vulnerable students and their future success and stability.
There are many academic resources available to help your child in foster care, along with tools you can use at home—like homework support and strong communication with teachers.
School can be challenging for kids under the best of circumstances. For those in foster care, no matter their grade level, it can be especially difficult to focus on academics. The more you prioritize their education, the more they can achieve.
Each child in foster care is unique, yet they may be reluctant to express their true interests and personality for fear of not fitting in or meeting expectations.
Foster parents can make a big difference by encouraging, respecting, and appreciating the child in their care for who they are as an individual. This means taking time to get to know kids in foster care by asking about their goals, activities they enjoy, or even what career they imagine having.
Of course, you don’t want to put them on the spot or make it seem like an interview. The best strategy is to give them your attention, actively listen, and communicate in an open and natural way.
These conversations can help guide you in finding meaningful programs for them to participate and enrich their sense of self.
Showing that you care about them can have an especially big impact on teens in foster care. Advocating for and supporting who they are as individuals can inspire kids in foster care to have confidence in their identity, sense of belonging, and future success.
If you work closely with children or want to help support kids in foster care where you live, there are options for you to make a difference as well. You may have special skills or ways to connect with young people that inspire them to learn and look toward a brighter future.
For example, educators can provide tutoring services through foster care programs. If you are an artist, performer, or musician, you might be able to contribute to community classes that include kids in foster care.
Becoming a substitute care provider, often referred to as respite care, for foster parents is one of the most powerful ways of offering support. This is often a meaningful and rewarding step in foster care advocacy. It brings peace of mind to foster families, knowing they have a safe substitute care provider to rely on when needed.
Do you want to learn more about becoming a respite care provider for foster families?
Talk to a foster care expert to understand substitute care and ways you can be involved to make a positive impact.
You can make an important difference through foster care advocacy, with expert help along the way.
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