Vol. 20, No. 2 • May 2016

Make a Difference During National Foster Care Month

This May, the Children's Bureau celebrates National Foster Care Month, focusing on family reunification with the theme "Honoring, Uniting, and Celebrating Families." To children, youth, families, caregivers, and professionals involved in foster care, celebrating means taking action.

The National Foster Care Month website provides materials showcasing best practices and information to help youth connect with biological parents, other family members, and their cultural heritage.

The website is the U.S. Children's Bureau's one-stop-shop for the foster care community to:

• Access free information and tools from the resource section
• Engage with each other through the National Foster Care Month Facebook Campaign Page to promote their events, make new contacts, and share stories
• Inspire others by sharing real-life stories, which are first-person accounts of making successful, permanent, connections

State-by-State foster care contact information, along with free outreach tools, are also available on the website for anyone interested in foster care.

Visit the National Foster Care Month website today and bookmark it for later at https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth

For more information, contact Child Welfare Information Gateway via email ([email protected]) or phone (800/394-3366).

What is National Foster Care Month? May is National Foster Care Month--a time to acknowledge everyone who helps children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections. It is also a time to focus on ways to create a bright future for the more than 400,000 children and youth in foster care. The materials on the National Foster Care Month site illustrate best practices in promoting a youth's connection with biological parents, other family members, and their cultural heritage. Best practices and strategies that support family reunification efforts in child welfare are also highlighted. What resources will be available on the National Foster Care Month website? This year, the website provides resources about supporting youth, parents, foster families, kinship caregivers, professionals, and the community by offering information that illustrates best practices and strategies that support family reunification. You can access these resources at https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/resources/. What are Real-Life Stories? Storytelling is a powerful way to connect real-life scenarios to important practice issues. Each year, the National Foster Care Month website features real-life stories of children, youth, and families that can help child welfare workers, managers, training staff, and others engage audiences in a variety of settings. From training to recruitment, these stories are great tools for gaining perspective and highlighting the role each of us has in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care. View the stories at https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/reallifestories/. How can I spread the word about National Foster Care Month? There are a number of tools you can use to help promote National Foster Care Month. Check them out at https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/spread/.

Adapted from: National Foster Care Month website.

~ Family and Children's Resource Program, UNC-CH School of Social Work ~