What role will you play in the St. Joseph Ministry?

• About one in every three children will be reunited with their biological familes.
• After ensuring safety, the State’s top priority is to return chil-dren to their families.
• Biological families need more support than the minimum State requirements to break cycles of abuse, poverty, addiction, etc.

• At age 18, teens are given the choice to extend their time in foster care until 21 or they can leave.
• Without a strong support network, these young people are vulnerable to being homeless, having difficulties with the law or becoming pregnant
• Long-term relationships are required to change the future of aged-out teens.

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• Minority ethnic group children over two years old are more likely to age out of the system without the opportunity of being adopted.
• Nearly 7,000 children in Texas’ child welfare system are ready for adoption– many are sibling groups or teens.
• Adoption from the foster care system costs little to nothing.
• All children, including those adopted at infancy, experience trauma. But healing can occur, if parents have both professional help and the support of a community.

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• Isolation is often a family’s first and most problematic re-sponse when they are in crisis with a child, whether it is their biological, foster or adopted child.

• A parish can offer spiritual, material, emotional and psycho-logical support to children and adults. This support is often similar to ministries already in the parish, such as meals pro-vided through a bereavement or hospice committee; car seats, infant formula, diapers, clothes provided through Gabriel Project; respite care with monthly childcare provided at the parish; religious education for children with special needs, etc.
• Prayers during liturgies which recognize foster and adoptive families, raising awareness of the needs of children impacted by serious trauma, and a hospitable environment which embraces trauma-informed ministry can nurture families who feel overwhelmed or unworthy of their ministry as a parent.

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While not everyone can be a foster parent, each of us can help children in the child welfare system. Each one of these acts of kindness not only helps a family directly, but each act also lets them know they are not alone in this important ministry. You can collaborate with your parish, Catholic Charities or any of the following agencies in this service:

• The Care Portal connects parishes to children and families with vital needs through the caseworker. The caseworker makes a request via the website about the needs of the family; the request is then relayed to participating Care Portal churches within a certain radius of the family, which then respond to the specific needs.
• Rainbow Rooms are 24/7 resource centers usually located within Child Protective Services (CPS) offices. You can volunteer or donate resources to a Rainbow Room (learn how).
• The Christian Alliance for Orphans is a national foster care initiative. 

Examples of non-direct engagement:

• Prayer
• New material goods: Abused and neglected children do not deserve abused and neglected items!
  • Gifts for birthdays and holidays
  • Children's clothing and shoes
  • School supplies
  • Blankets
  • Portable Play Yards (Pack and Play)
  • Car seats
  • Diapers
  • Formula
  • Personal hygiene items
• Other material support: tuition assistance, beds and dressers, supplies for celebrations, household/laundry cleaning supplies, vehicles, etc.
• Services: meals; personal care (hair stylists, etc.); home repairs; home cleaning; vehicle maintenance; services for special events (prom, birthdays, holidays, etc.); transportation for appointments, hospital visits, school and parish events, etc.
• Support groups for child welfare case workers, including providing material support for their clients.
• Provide meeting space, refreshments or other services for classes and meetings.
• Material support for older children “aging out” of the child welfare system: deposits, vehicle or other transportation, insurance, meals, job placements, budget/financial planning, resume writing/interview skills, etc.
• Donations to Catholic Charities and other agencies working directly with the State of Texas in placement of children in foster/adoptive homes.

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You may be called to be more active in the support of foster children and their families. With the appropriate training and screening, you can play an important role in nurturing these children who have many challenges before them. Some examples of how you can help include: 

1. Hosting celebrations: picnics, holiday gatherings, birthday parties, etc.
2. Academic tutoring
3. Mentoring/apprenticeships/"career days” for children aging out of foster care
4. Respite care for foster/adoptive parents
5. Counseling/parenting courses
6. Addiction recovery support
7. Retreats and days of reflection/renewal
8. Legal services for children, families of origin, foster and adoptive parents
9. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) trains and supports people who stand up for the best interests of children who have been abused or neglected. Appointed by judges, they speak up for the child’s needs in the courtroom and community.

Open Table, a national coalition, provides a means for faith-based communities to engage groups of volunteers that make a year-long commitment to act – through relationship — as a team of life specialists, encouragers, and advocates. Texas’ First Lady is recommending using the Open Table process to assist children who are aging out of the system.

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