By Clara Snyder | Reporter
While a federal court decides whether to fine Texas for lack of progress in court-ordered reforms, 10,011 children remain in foster care throughout the state as of March.
Chloe Smith, Nightlight Christian Adoptions foster care advocate, said there is a great need for foster parents, as they are expecting to have double the number of children in foster care in McLennan County in the near future. However, Smith said even if you can’t foster a child, you can still make a difference.
Formed in 2021 to address the number of children without foster placement, the Heart of Texas Families and Foster Care Coalition offers several opportunities for the community to engage with the issue. As a member of the coalition, Smith said some of their goals include educating and mobilizing the community to preserve families, prevent foster care and support caregivers.
Of the many volunteering opportunities, some include providing child care for foster parents while they attend monthly support gatherings or Parent’s Night Out events, participating in donation drives and providing meals. Additionally, Smith said Highland Church is hosting a training event on April 27 at which individuals can become certified babysitters for foster parents to call upon.
“We host plenty of information sessions, and even if fostering isn’t a good fit for a family, everyone can do something,” Smith said. “Whether it’s signing up to bring me one meal each week or month or offering to help support foster parents by traveling to visits and doctor’s appointments, anything helps.”
Another way to get involved is to become a court-appointed special advocate (CASA). Kayla Tatum, McLennan County CASA outreach director, said the role of a CASA is to advocate for the best interests of children in the foster care system.
“A lot of times, there’s going to be several voices speaking for the children about what’s going on while they are in care,” Tatum said. “So it’s really important that kids have a voice advocating for their needs through a CASA representing them on their case.”
Tatum said anyone over the age of 21 can become a CASA, and no prior experience or degree is necessary because training is provided. The responsibilities of a CASA include monthly visits with the child, attending court hearings, writing court reports and advocating for their medical, educational or psychological needs.
“We have volunteers from all walks of life,” Tatum said. “College students interested in becoming lawyers or potentially going into this field, all the way up to doctors, attorneys or retired teachers — anybody and anyone can be a volunteer.”
Tatum said CASA volunteering is flexible to individual schedule commitments, and they always make sure volunteers and cases are a good fit for both parties. CASA leans on making connections between adults and children that will be safe and healthy for their lives.
“When you’re having to remove a child from home, that’s a traumatic experience,” Tatum said. “So if we can lessen that by connecting them with adults that they feel safe with and are safe to be around, we want to do that as much as possible.”
Tatum said setting children up to succeed for themselves as they grow is important because it’s unknown how long they’ll be in the foster care system.
“Children are our future, and they can’t necessarily help that they are in this situation,” Tatum said. “But we can help them while they are in the system, and we can set them up to thrive.”
As someone who grew up in a family that fostered children, Smith said the reality can be overwhelming, but it just takes one person to make a difference in the life of a foster child.
“Once you meet the kids, you’ll see they’re just like any other kids; they crave attachment, connection, safety and a loving environment,” Smith said. “It just takes consistency, but I think we’d see a ripple effect in our society, from the juvenile justice system to the homeless population. … The foster care world affects so many things.”
For more information on the Families and Foster Care Coalition and how to get involved, visit its website.
