Did you know there are more than 6,000 children and teens in Kansas foster care? The need for foster parents is more significant than ever.
The need for foster parents is more significant than ever.
When youth cannot live with their birth parents, foster parents bridge the gap to meet physical and emotional needs in a safe and nurturing environment. These at-risk youth are able to rely on food, clothing, shelter, and care.
The role of a foster parent is not easy by any means, but the rewards outweigh the challenges many times over.
REWARDS
Be a positive influence.
Youth come into foster care for many reasons, but all face a level of trauma many of us can never imagine. When you are a foster parent, your positive impact on these children comes through exposure to a healthy family life and a regular daily routine. You provide vulnerable children the support and stability they need the most.
Make a significant impact in your community.
As a foster parent, your actions in supporting at-risk youth create a ripple effect throughout your entire community. Your extended family members, friends, teachers, and others get involved in your efforts to care for the foster youth, impacting lives forever.
CHALLENGES
Family reunification can be difficult.
The primary goal of foster care is to reunite youth with their birth families in a safe and stable environment. Many youth are placed in foster care while their parent(s) follow a court-ordered plan to help achieve greater stability. Parents then complete the plan, and reunification steps begin. Change can be extremely difficult for the youth and foster parent, who may have formed a close bond during their time together. It’s a bittersweet time, as they experience both joy and grief.
Relationships with birth families can invoke intense emotion.
Youth in foster care, especially teens, may struggle with emotions, including relationships with their birth parents. Foster parents must practice open, positive communication and collaboration for a successful partnership between birth parents, foster parents, and foster care staff.
Ready to become a foster parent?
