National Foster Care Month

Imagine a world in which the concept of "family" is turned on its head, a world in which you are forced to pack your few belongings and move to a new home and a new family. Most of the time you are not making the move with your brothers and sisters who are being placed in other foster homes. And imagine for a moment that you are the new family taking in a child who is confused, rootless and likely angry. Very little imagination is required if you are one of the 518,000 children in foster care in the U.S. or one of the foster families who open their hearts and homes to children in desperate need of stability.

May is National Foster Care Month, a time to call attention to the needs of the American children and youth in foster care. It is also a time to honor the 170,000 foster families across the nation for providing safe, stable and supportive homes for children and young people who are temporarily unable to live with their birth families. For DePaul Family Services, May is a time to pay tribute to our more than three hundred foster parents and care providers who have opened their homes and their hearts to so many.

It takes a special person to become a foster parent. Patience, flexibility, and love are just a few of the traits that can be found in all of our foster parents and care providers. These traits shine through, even during difficult and stressful times. These traits are the reason that so many of the children and youth in our foster care program are finally finding the safe and loving home they deserve. From all the staff at DePaul Family Services, we would like to say thank you to all of our foster parents and care providers. You are making an impact!

National Foster Care Month is a partnership of Casey Family Programs; Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services; Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Child Welfare League of America; Connect for Kids; APHSA/National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators; National Association of Social Workers; National CASA; National Foster Care Coalition; National Foster Parent Association; and the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning at the Hunter College School of Social Work, a Service of the Children's Bureau.