Fostering provides youth a safe environment within a family’s home during times of crisis. In these trying situations, children are often distraught and confused, and they require emotional support in addition to being provided life’s basic necessities. When a home is deemed unsafe for a child, they are placed with a foster family who can care for them until they are able to return home. Foster youth and their families require support in many ways to ensure that the child is growing and being supported during this difficult time.
According to Huffpost, there are roughly 400,000 foster children in the US. It is estimated that 25% of California’s prison inmates, and 30% of the country’s homeless were once in foster care. Here’s why it’s important to provide support to youth in foster care:
Improve Their Educational Outcomes
Amidst the constant instability at home, schools provide a stable system of support for the child that promotes learning. Children in foster homes are generally more susceptible to lower grades, more behavioral problems, greater chance of suspension, and a decline in the number of individuals that complete high school and pursue post secondary education. It is the responsibility of their teachers and advisors to recognize that foster kids need additional support and to be willing to advocate for these children as a caring adult to ensure that their best interests are heard. It is important to offer a stable support system for these youth and help them receive an education that prepares them for post secondary education and to join the workforce.
Offer them a Stable Environment
Fostering is a rewarding opportunity; however, it doesn’t go without challenges. Often times, the foster child is placed in a home temporarily until their parent can correct their behavior. Children are put into foster care for a number of reasons, including parents being poorly equipped to take care of themselves and their children, inflicting physical harm intentionally or suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. This can be extremely confusing for a young child, so it is crucial that they are placed in a loving home with parents who can provide them with the safety and support they need.
Support System
It is important to ensure that children experience as much normalcy as possible when transitioning to foster care. Fostering isn’t easy and it relies on you to be flexible and patient. It requires a lot of work but the aim is to better their lives and their futures. Foster children require your guidance and experience in order to adapt to their new environment and to cope with the challenges they’ve faced. Most importantly, they need a source of comfort that they can turn to whenever necessary.
Could fostering be an option for you? We know that it isn’t easy, but it is truly rewarding. If you are unable to foster but are looking for other ways you can support youth in foster homes, visit our website.