How to Volunteer and Support Foster Kids

Two foster parents playing with two foster kids on the floor

Are you looking to volunteer with foster kids and foster families?

As a volunteer, you can make a difference in Virginia's foster youth's lives. Volunteer opportunities are plentiful if you are interested in helping kids in the foster care system that may also be waiting to be adopted.

Volunteering With Foster Kids

Suppose you consider adoption or becoming involved in foster care in your local community. In that case, volunteering is a great place to start. There are many ways you can make a difference.

Becoming a foster parent and offering a loving home to a child in need is a beautiful way to assist. Agencies often look for temporary homes to provide stability and nurturing to children in need. 

If you aren't sure if becoming a foster parent is the right fit, consider becoming a court-appointed special advocate (CASA). The nature of this work involves volunteering with foster homes and the court.

As a CASA, you will be responsible for the accountability of foster youth. You also can make a difference as an advocate, providing a much-needed voice for foster children.

Helping Kids

If you are unable to adopt at this time but are interested in other volunteer opportunities, consider the following:

  • Become a driver
  • Provide internships or job opportunities
  • Offer respite care
  • Support a child aging out of foster care by giving them work experience
  • Facilitate a support group

Offering your assistance to become a driver is a great responsibility. You must be willing to commit. You will drive children to doctor's appointments, family visits, or school functions. 

Unfortunately, foster youth often face a stigma when searching for potential job or internship opportunities. If you can provide a job or internship experience, please consider doing so. In reaching out to foster youth, you can help make a positive impact for years to come.

As a respite care provider, you will assist foster parents needing a break. A respite care provider is an ideal volunteering opportunity for adults interested in becoming foster parents. 

Adoption

If you are an experienced foster parent searching for additional ways to help foster youth, consider adopting a child in foster care. 391,098 children are in foster care in the United States in 2021; these are the most up-to-date numbers we have as of June 2023, and over 113,589 are awaiting adoption, and the Virginia Department of Social Services has 1580 children ready or with the goal to be adopted in May 2023. Providing a loving permanent home for a child in need is a gift that keeps on giving. 

Adoption is a selfless decision that can provide a meaningful and lasting impact on foster kids and their families. The ability to provide a forever home to your foster child is a gift they will cherish forever.

Opportunities in Virginia

There are several Virginia agencies you can become involved with to benefit foster youth:

Worthdays

Worthdays is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize our community to ensure that those impacted by the foster care system know that they are important, worthy, and celebrated. Through the excitement of celebrating, we are engaging our community in a way that raises awareness and increases positive outcomes for our local foster care system.

Through partnerships with local Departments of Social Services, we can meet some of the basic needs of kids in our foster care system while using every opportunity possible to send the message that 'you are so worth it.

CASA

CASA recruits, trains, and supervises competent volunteers dedicated to advocating for the needs of abused and neglected children currently in court proceedings who are too young to speak for themselves during the complicated maze of legal proceedings.

Contact Us Today

Our mission is to positively impact the lives of children in foster care and adoption services in Virginia. Contact us today if you are interested in short-term or long-term volunteer opportunities, providing care for children through becoming foster parents, or learning more about adoption and the children in foster care in Virginia needing your help.