May is National Foster Care Month and provides an opportunity to celebrate the heroes that are foster and adoptive parents as well as share critical information about the number of children and families who are impacted. There are approximately 400,000 children and youth in foster care.
Here are some quick facts about foster care in Indiana:
- Many Hoosier children need temporary homes in the form of foster care; in 2012, nearly 49% of children who needed an out-of-home placement were placed into a non-relative foster home.
- Between 2009 and 2013, an average of nearly 4,000 children were adopted in Indiana each year.
- Overall, 2.7% of Hoosier children live in adoptive families.
There are several ways to support the 400,000 children and their families. Individuals can become a foster parent, a respite provider (for foster parents), engage in volunteer work, or mentor children and/or parents who need a positive role model. Casey Family Programs highlights other ways that individuals can help.
Transform Consulting Group has partnered with the Indiana Department of Child Services to manage the Indiana Heart Gallery. Transform Consulting Group celebrates the many foster and adoptive families making a difference every day in the lives of children!
