resources for families & CAREGIVERS

This resource page is designed to empower and support mentors, resource and adoptive parents of Black youth in foster care. At Kidsave, we’re committed to creating an affirming environment where both Black and non-Black caregivers can access valuable tools, partnerships, and information to create a nurturing space for Black youth in care to heal and thrive.

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

Mental Health Support for Prospective Parents 

Understanding the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is crucial when caring for children who have experienced trauma, grief, or loss. Disruptions in consistent caregiving, along with other factors like neglect, abuse, and household violence, contribute to toxic stress.

Caregivers play a pivotal role in the healing journey of these youth. Just as the children need support, caregivers require their own mental health resources to ensure they can provide a strong foundation. Kidsave is actively forging partnerships with mental health organizations to offer caregivers the support they need to thrive. Stay tuned for more updates on these partnerships.

HAIR & SKIN CARE FOR BLACK CHILDREN

Hair and skin care hold immense significance for Black foster youth, as they not only contribute to physical well-being but also create a bonding experience between caregivers and children. Building hair and skin care routines together nurtures confidence and independence that prepare youth for adulthood and future success. By learning to manage their grooming practices, children can also build time management and financial skills.

To help caregivers navigate this crucial aspect of care, we recommend viewing our resources on this topic by clicking the button below.

View Hair & Skin Care Resources

PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHURCHES, SALONS, BARBERSHOPS

Local churches, salons, and barbershops hold a vital role in the Black community, serving as safe havens, sources of guidance, and spaces of support. These institutions have historically provided mentorship, rites of passage, and connections that help individuals navigate systemic challenges.

Kidsave recognizes the importance of these networks and is actively collaborating with local churches, salons, and barbershops to formalize and enhance their role in creating supportive structures for mentorship. By partnering with these community pillars, we aim to uplift both caregivers and youth, fostering a sense of belonging, growth, and resilience. Stay tuned for more resources moving forward.

RESOURCES FOR MENTORSHIP

WHY MENTORSHIP MATTERS

A mentor is an experienced and trustworthy guide who provides valuable long-term support, guidance, and inspiration to a mentee. In the context of mentoring Black foster youth, trust is the cornerstone. A mentor builds a relationship based on trust, creating a safe space for open communication and fostering a sense of self-worth in their mentee.

To become a mentor for Black foster youth, one must first understand the unique challenges they face, including systemic inequalities. Cultivating cultural competency is crucial to effectively connect with and support them. Successful mentoring involves active listening, empathetic guidance, skill building, and setting achievable goals. By empowering children to overcome adversity and achieve success, a mentor plays a pivotal role in their journey towards a brighter future, instilling not only skills but also a profound sense of self-worth. Being a mentor can be very fulfilling for both parties. Be on the lookout for further resources on mentorship in the coming months.

BECOME A KIDSAVE WEEKEND MIRACLES HOST

Hosts are more than mentors. Not only are you a supportive guide and positive role model, you’ll also become a champion for an older child or teen and help them find a forever family.

Through Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles program, hosts make a one-year commitment to spend time with a child (at least 2 weekends a month) and be a champion for them, introducing them to friends, family, colleagues, and their local community in hopes of finding an adoptive family.

Quite often, hosts will transition to becoming legal guardians or an adoptive family. In those instances, Kidsave will help you move from hosting to adoption. For many of our host families, the Weekend Miracles program is the ideal way to adopt a child as it helps build a relationship of connection—gradually and organically—one where the child chooses you, too.

We’re proud to say that 9 out of 10 hosting relationships continue beyond the initial one-year commitment, with hosts staying connected to the child throughout their life as a mentor, legal guardian, foster, or adoptive family.

Hosts are singles, married couples, same-sex couples, with or without children, ready to make a difference in an older kid’s life. Always inclusive, Kidsave welcomes and supports members from our LGBTQIA and racially diverse community.

RESOURCES FOR ADOPTION

RESOURCES FOR ADOPTION

The adoption journey is often as unique as the family it brings together. One of the common ways is for a family to adopt a child from foster care. This process can vary by county or state . You can learn more about the process for adopting from foster care in your area by contacting your local child welfare agency. Many counties and states require interested families to complete the same steps to become a licensed foster parent. Your local child welfare agency will be able to walk you through this process and identify the steps necessary to adopt a child in foster care in your area. There are often additional resources available outside of government child welfare agencies, though.

LOS ANGELES WEEKEND MIRACLES

Los Angeles has one of the largest child welfare systems in the country. Right now, there are over 32,000 kids in foster care in LA County. Each year, more than 1,000 kids exit this system when they turn 18, alone and without family or adult support. These kids, who are predominantly African American and Latinx, are forced to grow up within a system intended for short-term care, and as a result, face tremendous challenges and disadvantages. Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles program alters their course, offering the opportunity for children to flourish under a caring mentor or an adoptive family.

And it works. Since 2005, four out of five kids in Weekend Miracles have found adoptive families or lifelong connections. Through our Meet the Kids events, parents get the chance to interact and spend time with these amazing kids at safe, fun, interactive events. Kids and families can get to know each other at their own pace. Most importantly, this program gives the kids a voice and a choice of who they want to get to know and who may ultimately become their forever family. Our program is carefully designed to cultivate natural and organic connections that lead to hosting and adoption.

 

HOUSTON WEEKEND MIRACLES

Despite considerable efforts, many children in Texas are languishing in foster care with little hope in sight. Nearly 1,300 teens in foster care age out of the Texas foster care system each year without a stable adult in their lives. The issue is compounded as there are not enough foster homes and too many kids living in residential treatment centers. Because of the limited capacity for these kids, 4% or 1,200 are moved out of state. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Weekend Miracles is a proven approach for finding lifelong mentors or adoptive families for older kids in foster care in Texas.

In partnership with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults, our Houston Weekend Miracles program connects older kids in foster care with caring adults in their community for mentorship, hosting, and adoption.

Even if you aren’t sure adoption is right for you, you can still make a difference in the life of an older child in foster care in Texas.