Additional Foster Care Information
Foster parents play a special role in the life of a child. Being a foster parent is an incredible journey that challenges and changes you in many ways. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe and loved, and to receive the guidance, support.
What are kids like in Foster Care?
Children come into care because of abuse or neglect, not because of the child’s actions. Children in foster care are just like children not in foster care, but are often dealing with the trauma of being separated. There are great tools like TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) to help foster parents, bio parents, and children grow from their trauma.
Interesting demographics about foster children.
Reference childtrends.org
Number of children in Foster Care in Louisiana
United States: 407, 493
Foster care rate per 1000
United States: 5.6
# of children who enter Foster Care
United States: 216,838
Average length of time in Foster Care
United States: 21.0 months
- Caucasian 52%
- General Child Population 50%
- African American 40%
- General Child Population 36%
- Hispanic or Latino 3%
- General Child Population 8%
- Multiple Races Races 4%
- General Child Population 3%
%
Female
%
Male
Other ways to help besides foster.
CASA
Every child in foster care needs an advocate. CASAs are Court Appointed Special Adovcates. They are the voice of the child in court, and advocate for the best interset of the child. They’re not foster parents, cannot transport children, and cannot take them home. They do see them in their placements, at school, or anywhere else. Children with a volunteer advocate spend half as much time in foster care, and are half as likely to return to foster care.
TBRI
Become a voice of hope for our children from “hard places!” As a TBRI® Advocate you will learn the skills needed to help bring healing to this fragile population who suffers from the effects of complex trauma.
After completing your 24 hours of training by a TBRI® Practitioner you will be commissioned by a judge and assigned a case.
Support
Fostering can be a challenge. Having a community of supporters who can bring food, mow grass, or lend an ear is very important.
Our Foster Sucess Stories
We have found it helpful to read stories from other foster parents when we need encouragement, ideas, or motivation. If you’re considering becoming a foster parent (or even if you’re just thinking about it), this section could prove to be a valuable resource.
Amanda, current foster parent
I received a phone call in the morning for a drug exposed newborn. The caseworker asked if I could meet the baby at the hospital and help with bottles and to start forming a bond. I learned his mother had previous experiences with her children in foster care, and this baby’s older sister might be coming into care as well.
It was tough at first- he cried more than any baby we have had in our home, and he didn’t want to take his bottle.
We’ve fostered for several years. Our approach is to always show full respect to the parents, communicate as much as possible, and to support and encourage them.
This mom got a job and got clean. She wanted to help as much as possible. At the Family Team Meeting, she brought clothes and toys for her baby. She really worked her case plan, and she proved she was ready to have her kids back.
At court, we learned the older sister would be reunified with mom, but not the baby. We advocated for her to get her baby as well, because of her amazing progress. Two weeks later, mom got her baby. To my knowledge, mom is still doing well, and her kids have never come back into care.
Craig, kinship foster parent
I’ve always been a part of my grandchildren’s life. I would try to see them at least once every two week, even though it was a three hour drive one way. Then one month I couldn’t get ahold of my son or his wife. I learned the children had come into care, and nobody gave them my name to come get the boys. The caseworker explained I would have be certified as a kinship foster parent.
The process wasn’t quick. The training was online, and my computer was at least 20 years old. I bought a new computer and got started. The home development worker explained each step, helped when I needed help, and checked in on me and encouraged me. I learned a lot about trauma.
I still have the boys in my home. They’re doing great in school. We go fishing as often as we can.
Jeff, former foster parent.
We started fostering to adopt. Through training, we learned the goal of foster care isn’t to adopt, but to provide a home while parents work their case plan, and then the children go home. We were okay with this, as hard as it would be.
We had over a dozen children come through our home. A few we still have. Not every parent completes their case plan, or stays in town. Our children were born into trauma, and have emotional scars from it. They’re also beautiful children who do well in school and have joy. We stay in touch with a couple of their mothers, or “tummy mommas” as we call them. One lives out of town and prefers to send letters back and forth. We have a common goal – the best interest of the child.