It is impossible to narrow the needs of foster care down to a single focus. There are 4 areas that we recommend to those who want to get involved
- Prevention: creating safety nets for families to stop kids from coming into care. There are not enough safe resources available to families that are in crisis. Reaching out for help without threat of negative consequences is a must to engage families in the services needed to help encourage safe families
- Placement: There is a lot of conversation revolving around the topic of how and where kids are placed when they come into foster care. Currently, there are over 2,000 kids in group home placements; the highest number ever in Arizona history. We are working to recruit more foster and adoptive families, retain existing families, and assist in getting kids placed with kinship and foster families so they can be in a family setting.
- Education/Training: An increase of resources to assist foster and adoptive families through relevant trainings and support.
- Young adults aging out: There are approximately 800 young adults aging out of Arizona’s foster care system every year with few having long term connections to adults. We are working with the community to create more mentoring opportunities post foster care and transitional living areas.
If you are interested in knowing more about how you can make a difference, we would love to help. Email kim@fosteraz.com
Happy New Year, and thank you for your great question! If you have questions, send them to #youaskedfa or Kim@fosteraz.com