National Foster Care Month

Background

National Foster Care Month is a call to action to foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers, and others on behalf of the children and youth in the foster care system. It is a time to recognize the hundreds of thousands of foster care children in our country and to honor the dedication of the foster families who care for these children and youth in safe, stable homes.

In 1988, the National Foster Parent Association persuaded Senator Strom Thurmond to introduce a resolution to proclaim May as National Foster Care Month. Initially, efforts focused on appreciation and recognition of foster parents, while in the 1990s, Foster Care Month focused on youth in transition. The campaign continues to expand every year, with 41 States and territories reporting having Foster Care Month proclamations from their Governors last year [1].

National Foster Care month is a partnership of 14 organizations that represent more than 250,000 individuals and providers, with Casey Family Programs leading the effort in this national campaign to help raise awareness and support children and youth in foster care.

Goals of Foster Care Month include [2]:

• Increasing the number of foster families and volunteers
• Raising public awareness about the need to keep children connected to their extended families, to place siblings in care together, and to sustain children in their own communities and schools
• Encouraging policy makers and other community leaders across the Nation to examine the causes for the high proportion of children of color in the system
• Advocating for services and supports to help young people make successful transitions to adulthood
• Highlighting success stories and positive aspects of foster care
• Putting a human face on what is perceived to be a foster care "system"

For more information visit www.fostercaremonth.org.

[1] National Foster Care Month. (2005). May is National Foster Care Month. Casey Family Programs. Retrieved May 17, 2005, from http://www.fostercaremonth.org/TheCampaign/Pages/default.aspx  

[2] Children’s Bureau Express. (2003). Resources for National Foster Care Month. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration of Children & Families. Retrieved May 17, 2005, from http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/articles.cfm?section_id=7&issue_id=2003-05

Published June 2005

See the Current Spotlight

Visit NDTAC's Neglected Youth Topic Library page.

Find out more about the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence program by reading these FAQ's (PDF) prepared by a coalition of organizations.

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