According to the Michigan Department of Human Services and Foster Hope, there are between 14,000 and 20,000 Michigan children in foster care at any given time. Help is needed to provide a safe, nurturing home for these children until they can be returned to their families.
May is National Foster Care Month. The month provides an opportunity to draw attention to the youth in the foster care system. This campaign raises awareness about the urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved – as foster or adoptive parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways. Big Family of Michigan is a nonprofit organization in Harrison Township that beats this drum 365 days a year.
Jeanne Fowler, founder of Big Family of Michigan, was a foster child and has dedicated her life to helping to make life better for children waiting to be adopted, or in at-risk situations. Big Family of Michigan works with adoption organizations, foster parents, social workers and the children to try to help make sure all are working in harmony and the children are receiving the love, care, and items they need and require to become successful adults.
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“Becoming a foster parent gives an adult the opportunity to really make a difference in a child’s life,” said Jeanne. “These children need nurturing and stability to help them learn to hope and trust again. It can be very rewarding, but is also something that is not to be taken lightly.”
A foster parent’s primary role is to help in efforts to reunite the child with their birth family. This may include visits between the child and birth parents (when appropriate), taking a child to counseling (if needed), and working closely with their dedicated foster care worker. Children may stay in the foster home for several days, weeks or months – perhaps even a year or longer.
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Five Easy Steps to Become a Foster Parent:
- Choose an agency
- Attend an orientation
- Complete the application process
- Participate in a home evaluation
- Attend free foster care training
There are several resources available to answer questions about foster care including the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at www.mare.org and Michigan Department of Human Services at www.michigan.gov/dhs.
For more information on Big Family of Michigan visit www.BigFamilyofMichigan.org.
MICHIGAN CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE-FACTS TO SHARE
There are many ways to advocate for children in the foster system. One way is to know the facts and share them with others.
v In Michigan alone, there are 20,830 children in foster care.
v They will spend an average of 25 months in foster care.
v 63% of them will be moved to at least 3 different foster homes during that time.
v 51% are waiting to be reunified with their birth families, but 33% of them will re-enter foster care within 36 months of returning home.
v 6,164 of them have been waiting an average of 5 years to be adopted.
v 75% of youths in the criminal justice system were once in foster care.
v 514 foster teens in Michigan will “age out” of the system, meaning they will be forced to live on their own with no family and no life skills.
v 1/3 of children placed in foster care will eventually end up homeless.
v Due to a lack of funding and staff, the foster care system simply cannot meet the rising needs of these children and their families.
** Content from information at www.ifosterhope.com/01/advocate
Visit these sites for additional information on foster care:
Current list of children waiting to be adopted http://www.mare.org/ForFamilies/NewtoAdoption/FAQs.aspx
National Statistics http://www.statisticbrain.com/foster-care-children-statistics/
