Safe and Sound: Amelia Learns to Trust Her Foster Father
While the children who come to Big Oak Girls’ Ranch each bring their own story, there is something that nearly every one lacks: a father. Big Oak Ranch’s campuses look like normal neighborhoods with brick houses. The only difference is that they’re all foster homes. Two houseparents, a foster mom and dad, live in each […]
Growing Together: Building a Stronger Family
Building a stronger family takes patience, love, and hard work. Thankfully, amazing foster and adoptive parents are up for the task. Sara and Kyle began their foster journey by taking short-term placements, offering care for a few weeks at a time. But everything changed when they received a call about three siblings who needed a […]
Mentorship Matters: Real Stories
In an atmosphere such as foster care where impermanence and instability prevail, many young people and families lack a solid support system. Children, young adults, and parents often find themselves with no one to help bear their burdens or walk with them through seasons of difficulty. Mentorship provides a foundational, supportive, and loving relationship that […]
Building a Connection: Maria’s Story
Adoption is often spoken about like a conclusion, but a family’s journey is actually just getting started. This incredible act of love gives children a forever home. We celebrate adoption and the exciting, joyous future of the family. As with all major transitions, however, integrating into everyday life as a new family brings challenges. Adopted […]
The Road to Reunification: Sarah and Mark
The road to reunification for parents whose children were placed in foster care can be long, difficult, and confusing. Parents may find it challenging to navigate the various requirements, or they may face complex issues that take time to resolve. Thankfully, our partner Lifeline Children’s Services makes the process much easier. They offer multiple services […]
Mobilizing in Montana: Promise686
Promise686 Montana, a branch of For Others’ longtime partner, started in 2020 when Aaron Scofield left a pastoral position to pursue a career in child and family well-being. He wanted to see more churches equipped to serve children and families in need. “God just kept saying, ‘mobilize the church, mobilize the church’,” Aaron says. That’s […]
I am Valued: Chase’s Story
Transition-aged youth (TAYs), or youth aging out of foster care, face a lot of daunting challenges once they turn 18. Many age out of state care without a family or support system to help them navigate their independence. Chronic poverty, incarceration, accidental pregnancy, and homelessness are just a few of the risks young adults often […]
Community Empowerment with CarePortal
For Others’ third priority in the Well-Being Support Ecosystem™ is community empowerment. Community empowerment allows towns and neighborhoods to build strong relationships and unite community members in a network of support. With a healthy community, at-risk kids and families don’t need to look far for help, and positive change becomes more sustainable. Our partner, CarePortal, makes […]
Ideal Family Placements with The Contingent
The second focus of our Well-Being Support Ecosystem™ is to recruit and retain ideal family placements for children in foster care. But what is an ideal family placement, and how do we identify them? This is where our partner, The Contingent, comes in. Their data-driven model helps states identify potentially successful foster families with pinpoint […]
Family Preservation and Reunification with Restore Hope
One of the most effective and crucial ways to end the child welfare crisis is through family preservation and reunification, which is why it’s the first focus of our Well-Being Support Ecosystem™ approach. Over half of the cases involving child removal in 2023 were preventable. Family preservation keeps children from being placed in foster care, […]
Mizzou Night of Champions: A Foster Care Football Camp
What do football and foster care have in common? The Mizzou Tigers! Every summer, the University of Missouri football team hosts a football mini-camp for local children in foster care served by our partner, Coyote Hill. The event, Mizzou’s Night of Champions, is a highlight of the kids’ summer and is eagerly anticipated. This unique […]
Lasting Impact: How Helping One Family Changed a Community
To end the child welfare crisis in America, we need to make a lasting impact and permanent change. We and our partners avoid putting a band-aid on the symptoms and address the roots of the problem. One of the most important ways to achieve this is to prevent children from entering the foster care system. […]
