The goal of the program is to enable a team of volunteers from a faith community to come together as a “quasi-extended family” to assist and support foster parents in their task of caring for foster children.

The assistance is generally of a very practical nature. Children need to be transported to games, to therapy and doctor’s appointments; they need tutoring and coaching; they need outings, fun and enrichment activities; they need help in managing money and finding jobs; and on holidays and birthdays they need celebrations and gifts.

The support is generally of an emotional or relational nature.  Foster parents are often lonely.  Given their life style, friends drop away; neighbors view them with suspicion; few people genuinely understand or appreciate the work they do and the depth of their love for the children. Friends and people they can count on become very important to them.  They make a difference for them.

While the program is initiated and managed through a series of meetings among Fostering Hope staff, the foster family and the volunteer team; the reality of the program occurs in the interactions among the team, the foster parents, and the foster children. The process which the program utilizes to enable and support those interactions is as follows:

Solicitation of Volunteers

• Typically, the program begins with a brief solicitation of potential volunteers from the pulpit during weekend services. Interested members of the congregation are invited to an informational meeting that is held at the church within the following week.

Informational Meeting

• This meeting begins with introductions and sharing among the volunteers about their interest and experience with foster children.
• Fostering Hope staff then provide an overview of:
  • the purpose and scope of the program,
  • its history and development,
  • the requirements for serving on the team,
  • the process for becoming and bonding as a team,
  • the training program
  • the process for matching the team with a foster family,
  • the process for working with and helping the foster family.
• After the participants’ questions and issues have been addressed, they are asked to fill out an application and provide the necessary information for background checks if they are interested in continuing.
• The meeting ends with setting a date for team training.

Team Training

• Usually four hours that can be delivered either as a single Saturday morning session or two two-hour evening sessions.
• Training is focused on two major topics.
• The realities of day-to-day foster care - with foster parents as presenters and discussion leaders.
• The realities of the foster care system - with directors of child placement agencies as presenters and discussion leaders.

Team Commitment Session

• Those volunteers who remain interested gather at this session with the Fostering Hope staff to:
  • Indicate their willingness to serve on the team.
  • Begin to identify their strengths, gifts and possible contributions to the team as it works with the foster family.
  • Review the home study information about the foster family that has been matched with the team.
  • Prepare background information on the team members that will be shared with the foster family prior to the next meeting.

Initial Meeting between Team and Foster Parents

• The foster parents present and initially lead the discussion concerning their history and involvement in foster care; sharing information about the children in the family; and their philosophy and approach to parenting.
• Members of the team then describe their interests and gifts and explore the possibilities for assisting the foster family.
• The team and the foster parents then plan how the team will meet and be introduced to the foster children.

Monthly Meetings of Team and Foster Parents

• The first part of meeting usually focuses on review of past month’s activity with foster children, as well as any new or significant happenings in the foster family household.
• Sharing of learning and perceptions about the children and considering ideas of what might be helpful and useful activities with the children. Often, the foster parent will coach the team about working with a particular child.
• The latter part of the meeting generally focuses on planning activities and assistance for the next month.

As the team and foster parents become more comfortable with each other, they also begin to share spiritually and pray together.