“A foster parent does not need to be the same race as their child to be a good foster parent. But being placed in foster care is a destabilizing and confusing experience.”

At Bridges Homeward, we work with children and teens from a wide spectrum of backgrounds and experiences. Sometimes, youths are placed in foster homes with families who don’t share those backgrounds or experiences. When that happens, we provide specialized support to ensure the child’s identity is respected, supported and celebrated while they're in foster care. When foster parents take the time to support and validate the identities and experiences of the youth in their care, those youth feel more secure, stable, and good about themselves. They also tend to do better in school and in their relationships.

A foster parent does not need to be the same race as their child to be a good foster parent. But being placed in foster care is a destabilizing and confusing experience. Family cultures and traditions are rarely identical from home to home. Entering foster care often means that the sounds, smells, language, routines, and foods in their new home are new and unfamiliar.

So it’s important for foster parents to understand that they may need to do some extra work on their own in order to fully support the youth in their care. This work may include researching the youth’s culture of origin; talking about ways to support that youth with their social worker and their birth family; providing opportunities for youth to know and spend time with people who share their identity; or just asking the youth about their own celebrations, traditions, and observances.

Kristina, pictured with her foster dad Kwesi, is moved to tears at her Quinceañera

Foster parents must also be willing to mine their own biases and to get uncomfortable at times. This can mean entering spaces where they are the “only”, so that their child is not always in the position of being the "only." Acknowledging that we all see each other’s skin color, and that race matters, is a difficult and sensitive process. But it’s so important for parents to affirm and celebrate youth’s racial identities, along with every other part of who that youth is.

We are honored to work with many foster parents who understand and happily engage in this important work. Our foster parents take joy in helping youth stay connected to their communities and cultures by supporting their relationships with their biological family, celebrating birthdays, cooking foods from the child’s own culture, and so much more. You can read about the impact this conscientious approach has on youth in this beautiful story about our foster parents Carlotta and Kwesi, and their foster daughter Kristina!

Children and teens of color are overrepresented in the child welfare and foster care systems. At Bridges Homeward, we want our staff and foster families to reflect and celebrate the diversity of the children we serve. It’s important to us that children have access to caregivers and role models who can affirm, validate, and understand their life experiences.

If you want to be one of these important caregivers, become a foster parent with Bridges Homeward today! Our staff will support you every step of the way. Reach out today!

Learn more and Become a Foster Parent today!