Our hope is to create a culture of awareness and understanding around the foster and adoptive community across the SF Bay Area.
Thinking of opening your home, supporting families, or involving your church?
How to support my friends/family who are fostering or adopting
Your friends are adopting or have started fostering, now what? There are great resources (some found below) that can provide some tangible ways to love on these families. In addition to those practical ways to support we want to encourage you to do two things.
The first is listen more than ask. Much of the information surrounding the child’s history and potentially the court process should be kept confidential for many reasons. One way you can show this family love and support is by listening to what they share and showing respect by not asking for more.
Stick it out! There may be seasons where this family needs to hunker down and not have many people interacting with their child(ren) in order to promote attachment or possibly just out of sheer necessity, support them by respecting this decision. When there isn’t space for you to be engaging regularly, send them notes of support or ask how you can be praying for them.
How to support at-risk families
Every family and person’s story is different and what they might need in the form of support will vary. We encourage you to do some homework prior to engaging with families at risk of having their children removed. Learn about addiction, domestic violence, read when hurting helps and other resources to help you on your journey. From there, we have three suggestions to make the engagement a good experience for both.
First, approach the relationship with respect. Have empathy and make your engagement personal, which creates a genuine foundation for trust. It’s important that you care about the family and work first to understand their needs.
Next, do your research and learn about local resources. Once you determine what they need, present them with healthy options, empowering their decision. Honor their limits, as every family dynamic is different. Offer practical help. Often when families are in moments of crisis even the smallest of tasks can be overwhelming and often stiffen any forward progress, offering to print a document or a ride to sign up for a resource can be a simple way to offer real support.
Lastly, ask for help. Contact Help One Child if something seems confusing or you’re unsure of next steps, don’t ever hesitate to call 650-917-1210 and talk it through.
