Foster Parenting Facts and Resources

It’s always very important to honor, unite, and celebrate families who are providing foster care to children and youth in need.

“On any given day, there are approximately 415,000 children in foster care in the United States. In 2014, over 650,000 children spent time in U.S foster care. On average, children remain in state care for nearly two years and seven parents of children in foster care have languished there for five or more years. In 2014, more than 22,000 young people aged out of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to forever families have a higher likelihood than youth in the general population to experience homelessness, unemployment and incarceration as adults. -Childrensrights.org”

There are many children who are in foster care and are in need of a forever family. Just in Michigan there is approximately 14,000 children in general foster care. Approximately 3,000 of those children will become legally free for adoption.

Resources for Foster Parenting

Resource Families Partnering with Birth Families

Completing the Circle: Uncovering, Discovering & Creating Connections for Your Foster and Adoptive Children

The Foster Parenting Manual: A Practical Guide to Creating a Loving, Safe, and Stable Home, and

NFPA-The National Voice of Foster Parents

Even if you are unable to foster at this time there are still ways that you can play a huge part in enhancing the lives of children and youth that are currently in foster care including: becoming a mentor, volunteering (Big Brothers Big Sisters), conducting a clothing drive, providing placement bags for children in foster care, or becoming a CASA (Court Appointment Special Advocate).

If you are interested in foster care or adoption contact Hands Across The Water by calling 734-477-0135 oremailing at info@hatw.org.

Hands Across The Water Inc

Michigan Based

493 Waiting Children

7 Adoption Programs

Call 734-477-0135

781 Avis Drive, Suite 200 Michigan

http://www.hatw.org

Hands Across The Water is a non-profit child placing agency, licensed in the state of Michigan. Our programs include infant domestic, waiting child domestic, international programs, and waiting child international. A majority of our staff has been touched by adoption in some way and are passionate about building families by adoption. Our agency is located in Michigan where we can provide home study and placement services. We also have a Family Liasion located in the state of Georgia who will work with our Georgia families directly once the home study is complete.

Hands Across The Water can also provide placement services to families living in all states and to US citizens residing abroad. Hands Across The Water also provides adoptive parenting education through monthly classes on various topics, monthly support group for waiting families, monthly support group for families adopting (or have adopted) an older child, and a lending library for HATW families. Please contact our staff for information on these events and our various adoption programs. We've been there, now we're there for you!