Over 402,000 children were in the foster care system in 2021. That’s a lot of kids who could use your help. But knowing that foster children need help is not the same thing as knowing how to help foster kids.
Foster care needs are both broad and complex. That’s why, when people ask us, “How can I help a foster child?”, the answer isn’t just one thing. There are several different ways to help foster kids. To help you understand how you can help, we have put together this quick and simple guide on how to help foster children.
Read on to learn more, or reach out to A World For Children to start helping today.
How To Help Foster Kids Right Now
If you’re like most people, when you see a problem — especially one that affects children — you want to be a part of the solution. We’re here to help you become a part of the solution. Here are eight ways you can help foster kids today.
1. Become a Foster Parent
The most direct and impactful way to address foster care needs is to become a foster parent. By fostering a child, you provide a secure and caring home for a child in need. You automatically remove a child from the system, give them care, and free up resources for the foster system to help more children.
If you’re wondering how to help foster kids in your community, becoming a foster parent is one of the most rewarding and beneficial actions you can take. Learn more about how to become a foster parent on the A World For Children website.
2. Become a Foster Grandparent
If you’re an older adult who maybe isn’t quite set up to become a full-fledged foster parent but would still like to help out, you can. You can apply to become a foster grandparent. Foster grandparents serve as mentors, supporters, and friends to children in the foster system.
It may not be as comprehensive as becoming a foster parent, but make no mistake — companionship and mentorship are desperately needed in the foster system, and you can help out with just a little bit of your time each week.
3. Donate to Foster Organizations
We get it — the average person is so busy that they struggle to even take care of all of the have-tos in their lives as they currently are. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to know how to help foster children; it just means you’re worried that you don’t have the time to give.
Perhaps you don’t have the time, and that’s perfectly OK. You can still help out by making a financial donation to a foster care organization that is making a difference in your community. A World For Children gladly accepts donations no matter how big or small to support our services for children in foster care. Donate to A World For Children today.
4. Raise Funds for Foster Care Needs
You can also help by contributing to fundraising efforts on behalf of foster care organizations. Whether it’s a simple social media-based request for donations or a full-fledged fundraising campaign, every dollar makes a difference in a child’s life.
5. Become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate
If you’re an action-oriented person, one of the best ways to help foster kids is to become a court-appointed special advocate (CASA). This is a national program that allows volunteers to advocate for children who have been neglected or abused. While this program isn’t specific to children in foster care, it often involves children in the foster care system.
6. Do Respite Care
Maybe you can’t commit to full-time foster care, but what about a weekend here and there? That’s exactly what you provide when you agree to do respite care. Families who foster children can take a break, and you get to provide an occasional weekend home for a foster child.
7. Provide a Work Experience
Are you a business owner or someone who may have an influence on internships or hiring decisions? Maybe you can help a teenager in the foster system by providing a part-time job, internship, or other work experience. Often, this kind of experience in teenage years is a springboard into a successful career and financial stability in adulthood.
8. Be a Driver
Children in foster care often have to go back and forth to various meetings and check-ins, and they rarely have their own transportation. You can help out in a small but impactful way by volunteering with your local foster care organization as a driver.
How To Help Foster Children: Contact Us
Want to know how to help foster kids? It’s simple: Contact us. A World For Children is dedicated to addressing the broad spectrum of foster care needs, and we’re always looking for people who want to help.
You can make a difference. Contact A World For Children to learn more about how. Give us a call at 1-800-419-5603 or contact us online today.
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