Imagine Your Childhood Memories
What were you doing and who were you with? Now, imagine that in one day, all the things familiar to you changed. Imagine that even your best memories were not often happy ones and that your days were filled with uncertainty. Some days, there was not enough to eat, and sometimes the house was cold. You did not have anyone to help you with homework or have clean clothes for school. Sometimes the police even came to your house because the neighbors heard the fighting between your parents. But this was your home, your world, and you knew what to expect.
The Moment Everything Changes
At times like those, you were scared or hungry, but you knew how to navigate those days. Then, suddenly, one day, you are met at school by a stranger who says she is a caseworker. You have never met her before. She is a stranger to you, but she tells you she is going to take you somewhere safe.
Wait a minute! What does that mean? Where is your mom? What about your house – it isn’t really nice, but you have things there you care about. And what about your little brother? Will he be going home? Will you see him again?
There are so many questions, but you feel too confused to say much. You get into the car with only your school bookbag, and you don’t go home. You go to an office to wait for a place to go. After hours, the caseworker says she found a “placement,” and she tells you to get your bookbag and come with her.
The Harsh Reality for Children in Foster Care
This situation is a reality for children who come into foster care because of actions by adults. The details may vary, but children coming into foster care are typically caught off guard and not given a chance to gather their things. They are uprooted from the familiar and, even if it is safer and necessary, it is a scary, disorienting time. They lose all that is familiar.
Becoming a Therapeutic Foster Parent
Becoming a therapeutic foster parent means agreeing to take a child who has experienced such a scary change—and perhaps additional traumas—into your home. Being able to put yourself in the shoes of the child, thinking about how you would feel in such a circumstance, can go a long way in equipping a foster parent to be the compassionate adult needed for a child who has been abused or neglected.
How SCYAP Supports Foster Parents
The South Carolina Youth Advocate Program (SCYAP) is seeking exceptional adults to serve as compassionate and loving parents to children who cannot be in their biological home for a time. SCYAP provides:
- Training for therapeutic foster parents
- A comprehensive vetting process to ensure traumatized children are placed in good, safe homes
- A monthly stipend to provide for the child’s needs
- Medical care for the child
But beyond these supports, becoming a therapeutic foster parent is about the heart—not just the need of the child.
The Reward of Fostering
Not the least of the reasons to foster is the enormous joy of knowing you have given a child whose life is in turmoil safety and a chance to know they matter enough for strangers to care about them. There is the joy of getting to meet and truly know children who are resilient and brave. There is the knowledge that you can be the difference in helping children find their way through the grimmest times of their lives and toward a future that is bright and fulfilling!
The Urgent Need for Foster Parents in South Carolina
Right now, in South Carolina, 1,100 children who are teens are in foster care, waiting for a stable placement. Many of these children are moving from placement to placement each night because there are too few homes willing to take them full-time.
- Teens, sibling groups, LGBTQ youth, and children with medical or behavioral needs often struggle to find stability.
- These children experience high rates of rejection and have likely had multiple traumas, making it difficult for them to trust adults.
- They need what we all need—love, stability, compassion, understanding, and commitment in a home.
Can You Be the Difference?
Are you the adult who can provide stability and hope for a child who believes no one wants them? SCYAP is ready to help you prepare to serve hurting children with:
- Comprehensive training
- 24-hour ongoing support
Take the First Step
You can inquire about the opportunity to provide a real home for a child in need by calling 1-800-882-5513 or completing a contact form through the link below. Becoming a therapeutic foster parent may be the most rewarding gift you ever give yourself.
You can change the world—one child at a time.