Who are the kids in foster care?

The children come from diverse backgrounds—most share a history of abuse or neglect. They can be newborns, toddlers, or teenagers. They come from every part of the state and every race, religion, and socio-economic group. In too many instances, their parents have unresolved substance abuse issues.

In Utah, we urgently need foster families to care for diverse children, siblings, and teens.

Diverse Children

DIVERSE CHILDREN NEED DIVERSE FAMILIES

Children in care come from all sorts of backgrounds—socio-economic, religious, linguistic, and cultural.

Now, imagine how difficult it would be to be placed in foster care with a family speaks a different language, celebrates different holidays, and eats unfamiliar foods. That’s why Utah Foster Care is looking for families as diverse as the children they care for.

Did you know?

  • 1 in 4 children in foster care in Utah is Latino.
  • Tribal members are our best hope for finding, training, and supporting Native families to care for Native children in state care. We need Native families across the state in order to ensure that children removed from abusive or neglectful situations remain close to their family, friends, and support networks—and it’s tribal members who can encourage these folks to consider fostering children in their homes.

Contact our foster-adoptive consultants who specialize in finding such  families:

To learn more about Native home for Native children visit utahfostercare.org/tribes/. Fill out the form below to speak to someone about becoming a foster parent and sharing your heritage –

 

Siblings

OUR FIRST FRIENDS

When a child comes into foster care, they likely will have a brother or sister—sometimes more than one. Foster parents are invited to consider caring for sibling groups to avoid further traumatizing vulnerable children.

Imagine being removed from your parents—only to “lose” your siblings, too. In rural settings, breaking up sibling groups often has huge consequences—with children spread too far to maintain meaningful relationships.

Teens

CHILDREN ON THE INSIDE

Almost half of the children in foster care in Utah are ages 12–18.

Teenagers in foster care are similar to the teens you already know: they worry about fitting in, they stress about homework, and obsess about what clothes to wear. But unlike most teens, they also worry about where they will be living a month from now. They wonder whether their parents made it to counseling. And they are unsure about making friends in a new place when they don’t know how long it will last—if at all.

“It can be hard because everyone treats you like you’re a bad kid. We’re just normal kids who want a family to love them.”

— Child in Foster Care

It’s never too late to adopt a teen when there is still a lifetime of holiday meals and major milestones to celebrate.

Trauma from their past influences the behavior of children in foster care. They’ve learned habits that helped keep them safe—habits which can negatively impact how they relate to the world around them. As a foster family, you can offer a safe home and a chance to replace old habits with new ones. We offer training to help you understand the trauma they’ve experienced and to effectively care for them.

I want to learn more…