Support a Foster/Adoptive Family in Your Life

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and as a foster and adoptive parent as well as someone who spends their days supporting and training foster and adoptive parents, I wanted to use the month to bring attention to the cause. 

Often, people aren’t sure how to approach foster or adoptive parents, or they approach them in completely inappropriate ways. During the month, it was my hope to dispel some misconceptions and offer ideas on positive ways to support a foster or adoptive family in your life. 

When I took a poll of foster and adoptive parents and asked them how they wish people would support them, the answers ranged from super simple to more complex, from completely free to some value. What I want to reiterate, however, is there is always an opportunity to support a foster or adoptive family in your life. You don’t necessarily need a lot of time or money to do it; you simply need to want to. 

I’ve compiled the list below, but please don’t allow this to limit you! If you have a heart for blessing a foster or adoptive family, be creative and do it! 

Feeling connected, cared for and appreciated goes a long way for anyone. Please allow this list to spark your imagination and share the love to foster and adoptive families, but also to all families. Being a blessing never gets old!

1. Send a note of encouragement
2. Pray with and for them
3. Run errands for them
4. Offer to babysit
5. Listen without judgement
6. Point them to a support group
7. Pay for a camp or class for their child
8. Take them a meal
9. Do their laundry
10. Clean their house
11. Connect them with other foster and adoptive families
12. Hang out at the house with their children so they can get chores done
13. Grocery shop with or for them
14. Invite all of the children – foster, adoptive, biological – to do things
15. Shuttle children to appointments
16. Don’t ask intrusive questions or say insensitive things
17. Buy them gift cards
18. Buy them essentials – toilet paper, diapers, hand soap, paper plates, etc.
19. Offer a date night 
20. Love don’t label
21. Ask them what they need
22. Share resources with them
23. Help load / unload children in the car at events
24. Cut grass or do yard work for them
25. Go to their house just to talk
26. Become trauma informed
27. Don’t tell us you couldn’t do it
28. Tell us we’re doing a good job even if we have children melting down
29. Ask us how we’re doing
30. Offer to do handyman work
31. Come over and read to the children
32. Offer to take their family photos
33. Offer car maintenance
34. Buy them passes to an experience – the zoo, the aquarium, theater, etc…
35. Do a fundraiser for your local foster care or adoption agency

I’d love to hear your other ideas below! Please leave a comment with other ways you can support a foster or adoptive family in your life.