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Deciding to become a resource parent could be a life-changing opportunity for a child, but it’s also a drastic change for the placement family. Not every parent is cut out to be a resource parent and not every family is prepared to be a resource family, and that’s okay. There are many ways in which you can touch the life of a foster kid without bringing him or her into your home. Here are a few ways you can help support a foster child or family!
- Volunteer with Foster Kids
Often times, despite the best efforts of resource families, children in foster care bounce from house to house. This creates a lack of routine as well as a lack of close bonds and relationships, which are important for an individual who is still growing and learning. Volunteering with foster kids through programs like CASA, a national organization that pairs volunteers with foster youth, will match you with a child for whom you will become an advocate. You spend quality time with them once a week and may speak up for them in their bi-annual court hearings. You ultimately become this child’s advocate and help fight for their best interests, while also forming a trusting bond with your assigned child.
- Respite Care
Sometimes referred to as ‘short-term’ foster care, this may be a good way to tell if you are ready to bring a foster child into your life. All you have to do is become certified through your state to be a temporary caregiver for a foster child whose current resource parents need time away. The respite care could last anywhere from a few hours up to two weeks, but scheduling is usually flexible and can be worked around your availability. The act of respite care creates a get-away for foster parents and is shown to lead to less familial conflict among resource families.
- Offer Your Professional Services
Expenses can pile up quickly when foster kids enter a home. Suddenly there’s another person to feed, clothe, and take care of. If you’re a lawyer, notary, doctor, anything that may help a resource family, offering your services to them for little or no cost could be a huge burden lifted off of a family’s shoulders. Even professions like photography or other artistic services could help in small ways.
- Offer any Service
Even if you don’t have any professional services to offer, any act of kindness towards a foster family could be a huge help. Bringing over a few frozen meals, offering to do some yard work, or even hanging out with the kids for a few hours all work wonders in boosting the morale of the whole family. If you know a family who’s fostering, reach out and see if there’s any way you could help them get by. Even if there isn’t, knowing that someone has their back will make the fostering process easier. Remember, it takes a village to raise a child.
- Donate, Donate, Donate!
Perhaps the easiest way to support a foster family is by donating to an organization that supports foster kids and resource families. As mentioned before CASA is a great organization to donate to and is nation-wide, but check out some more local foster agencies to see if they have any suggested organizations to donate to, or if the agency themselves accepts donations. If you’re looking to donate and are trying to find the right place to do so, Kamali’i accepts donations directly, in order to fund our support services that will allow for a healthy and nurturing home environment for a child in need—from foster care placement to family reunification.
It’s understandable that being a resource parent may not be the path for everyone. It takes a lot to open your home to a stranger who needs it, and those who do will need help along the way. Anyone can support a foster child, an agency, or a family. We encourage you to explore the community surrounding foster care and see if there is a way you could reach out and help.
