You Can Support Foster Kids Even If Not Ready to Adopt

Like many before you, you've decided to support kids in foster care, but the timing isn't right to foster or adopt. You may be asking yourself, are there other meaningful ways I can get involved to help foster youth?

Good news—the answer is yes! You can support foster kids in many meaningful ways right here in Virginia. Even if you can’t foster or adopt just yet, your involvement still makes a significant impact.

Volunteering is a Great Way to Start Helping Kids in Foster Care

Volunteering gives you hands-on experience with foster children and families. Not only is it a wonderful way to help children who need love and stability, but it's also an excellent starter to grow. Here are some rewarding ways you can volunteer with kids in foster care:

Become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA):

CASA volunteers speak and advocate for foster kids in court. Local chapters in the national organization train volunteers to represent kids, often including those involved with child protective services. CASA volunteers make sure the child's voice and well-being are present during legal proceedings. A powerful way to directly support kids in foster care or other child welfare agencies is through CASA.

Volunteer as a Driver

Kids in foster care often need help with transportation. They must meet commitments to make doctor appointments, school activities, and even visits with birth parents or family members. Being a driver requires commitment. However, it’s a practical way to make a child's life easier, along with the lives of their foster family.

Offer Respite Care

Becoming a foster parent is like taking on another full-time role. Parenting a child in care takes love and energy. Sometimes foster parents need short breaks, and respite providers are their angels.

Respite care providers give temporary, short-term support to foster families. Because of respite care training, foster parents can rest assured their kids are in nurturing care, even when they have a break. Providing Respite Care is also an experience that prepares you for fostering or adoption in the future.

Other Ways to Support Kids in Foster Care

If adoption or volunteering directly with children aren’t options right now, you can still make a difference. Here are other means of support for foster youth:

Provide Training, Internships, or Employment

Teens in foster care often struggle to find work because of their background. If you or someone you know can offer a job or internship, you help these kids gain valuable experience that builds skills and confidence.

Kids who age out of the foster care system face life challenges and poor outcomes. These young adults must find employment to support themselves, often without a high school diploma. Work means they can gain skills, experience, and self-direction in their own lives.

Many young people leave foster care without a high school diploma or family support. Rather than finishing school, they find themselves on the street trying to find a way to feed and house themselves. Having a job provides a sense of self-worth and security that allows foster youth to focus on their futures.

Support Foster Youth Groups or Organizations

Groups like Worthdays (more below) help kids in care feel recognized and special. You can support their work by donating or participating in community events. Every bit helps to remind foster children that they matter.

Donate Essential Items to Kids Foster Care in Virginia

Foster children need a variety of basic and hygiene items to help them feel safe, secure, and loved. Necessities include clothing, toiletries, and school supplies, along with comfort items like stuffed animals, toys, and books. These bare essentials can make a significant impact in a child's life today. Acts of kindness from donors make an impact today that lasts a child's whole life.

Consider Adoption When You're Ready

Foster Care Goals and Statistics

The need for foster and adoptive parents in the United States child welfare system is significant. Nationally, nearly 400,000 kids are in foster care. In Virginia, over 30%, or 1,700 kids in foster care are waiting for adoptive families. Every day, we have volumes of families who experience life crises before their children enter foster care.

Foster care in a home setting is the goal for every child. This is especially true for those who have faced child abuse or neglect. The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) works to provide a path to permanency for all youth in foster care.

Foster Care and Adoption Options

No matter the length of time, social workers seek to provide home care. No matter the age of children or their family history, home environments feel the most stable and secure. However, there are not enough resources to meet the needs of all kids in the foster care system.

The foster care program offers different options for care. One option is Kinship care, where family members can take in children. Kids in foster care may also stay in a group home. This depends on their age, how long they have been in care, and their specific situation.

Many people often call the decision to foster or adopt a child from foster care selfless. Few commitments in life have the potential to similarly change a child's life. In Virginia, to adopt a foster child, parents must complete the same Home Study to meet licensing requirements as those who wish to foster. In fact, all adoptive families must foster their child for a minimum of six months before finalizing their adoption.

Is Adoption Right for You?

When you adopt, you provide a stable, permanent home filled with love. To learn more, you can research on your own, talk to other foster-to-adopt families, or speak with a child-placing agency. With your goals in mind, an adoption advocate can answer your questions and even guide you to answer questions for yourself. They can also tell you more about parent training, requirements, and what may disqualify you, too.

Adopting a foster child is one of the greatest gifts you can give—and receive. Adoption changes lives, offering both you and your child lasting joy and family connection.

Organizations You Can Partner With in Virginia

While there are many to consider, here we highlight two trusted organizations where you can volunteer or get support:

Worthdays

Worthdays is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports foster children. The organization celebrates important moments for kids in care and works to meet their basic needs. Worthdays engages the community through awareness and improves foster system outcomes. Your involvement in Worthdays can help foster youth feel seen and valued.

Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

CASA volunteers advocate for children in court, ensuring their safety and emotional needs are a priority. This volunteer-driven organization recruits, trains, and supervises people who advocate for children in court and legal proceedings. This includes kids who are too young to speak for themselves, as well as children who have been victims of abuse or neglect.

Ready to Make a Difference Now?

At AdoptionVA, we bring adoptive parents together with children in foster care to create forever families in Virginia. If the timing or commitment of adoption isn't for you, that's okay! We can find short- or long-term volunteer opportunities or other good ways for you to support foster children today.

If adopting a foster child is the journey you choose, our team will guide you every step of the way. Our care extends to ensuring your family has access to support, including therapy or other post-adoption services.

Contact us today about the purpose-driven journey that may be right for you: volunteering, fostering, or adoption opportunities. Together, we can help change the lives of Virginia’s kids in need.