Faith and the Foster Care System

Millions of families and professionals will touch the child welfare system this year alone

Every year, the reality is the same. The system is complicated, confusing, and difficult to navigate.

We are not talking about abstract numbers. We are talking about families, communities, and generations.

That is why I care so deeply about how we show up in this work, especially when it comes to faith and the foster care system.

I Could Not Do This Work Without Faith

I honestly do not know if I could do this work, the work of walking with families and children, without faith.

Without believing in God.

Without knowing that God is in control.

Without trusting that redemption is possible, that I have been redeemed, that others can be redeemed, and that God loves each and every one of us, no more and no less.

Because of that, I naturally connect a lot of what I see in child welfare back to my faith and back to Scripture. One theme that stands out to me is the feeling that you are completely by yourself, when in reality you are not alone at all.

There is more happening than you can see with your natural eyes.

Surrounded by Support

This reminds me of a story in 2 Kings 6 about the prophet Elisha.

Elisha had been hearing from God and advising the king of Israel about how to respond to the enemy army. The opposing king was not happy about this and sent his army to surround the city where Elisha was staying.

Early in the morning, Elisha’s servant woke up, saw the army surrounding them, and panicked. From his view, they were outnumbered and in serious danger.

Elisha responded with a different lens. He told his servant not to be afraid, because those who were with them were more than those who were against them. Then Elisha prayed and asked God to open the servant’s eyes.

Scripture says the Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The army of God had been there the whole time. The servant just could not see it.

I think about families in the child welfare system and how often they feel the same way. Surrounded by problems, surrounded by systems, surrounded by fear. But not surrounded by help. Not surrounded by people who are clearly for them.

Sometimes the supports are there. They are just not visible, organized, or accessible. Other times, those supports truly are missing. Both realities matter.

Prevention and Support: Two Overlooked Systems

When I consider why families come into the foster care system, I often come back to one word: disconnection.

Many families who reach the point of system involvement do not have strong, safe, reliable connections around them. They lack people who can show up consistently with support, wisdom, and tangible help.

That is where two often overlooked parts of the child welfare landscape come in:

prevention and support.

Prevention

Prevention keeps families out of the foster care system in the first place. Prevention says,

We are going to meet the needs of families now, so they do not have to reach a crisis that triggers removal later.

The challenge is that many families are not aware of the preventive services available to them. They do not know what to ask for, where to go, or that help even exists. It is like walking around with their eyes closed. The resources are there, but invisible.

Support

Support is what surrounds a family during and after system involvement.

Imagine a family who is exiting the child welfare system. Maybe the children are reunifying with their parent. Maybe a relative placement is stabilizing. At that point, a very real question hangs in the air.

Now what?

If the only people in a family’s life are those who are paid to be there, those supports will eventually go away. Workers change jobs. Services close out. Cases close.

Paid support can be a critical lift for a season, but it cannot be the only net. Families need people who will love them, check on them, and stand with them long after the case is over.

How Faith Communities Can Stand in the Gap

This is one reason I am so grateful for healthy, engaged church communities.

Our church family, and many church families across the nation, function as both prevention and support. They are often the people who:

My husband and I have four children who are 13, 14, 15, and 16. At one point, that meant we had a newborn, a one year old, a two year old, and a three year old.

We chose to have our children close together in age, and I had this personal goal of being done having kids by 30. That part worked out, praise God. But that did not mean it was easy.

There were Sundays when I would walk into our church sanctuary exhausted and stretched thin. My husband had many responsibilities in the church. Yet family and church members would swoop in, pick up the babies, and give me a moment to breathe and reset.

That was not a program. That was not a grant funded service. That was community.

This is the kind of natural support that can keep families stable and resilient. Church families, neighbors, mentors, and extended family can all play that role when it is safe and healthy to do so.

Naming Shame and Hidden Struggles

Of course, it is not always as simple as saying, “Just ask for help.”

Shame plays a significant role in why many families do not reach out until a crisis explodes.

There were so many times in court when I was appointed to represent a parent. We would go through the temporary custody hearing, and afterward a grandparent or relative would come up to me and say:

“I had no idea. I did not know they were struggling like this. If I had known, I would have helped.”

That phrase, “If I had known,” breaks my heart every time.

Why did they not know? Sometimes people are not paying attention. But many times, the family has been hiding their struggle as best they can. They show strength on the outside while chaos grows inside the home.

People know what you show them. If you hide, pretend, or push everyone away, it can look like everything is fine, right up until it is not.

This is why we have to be intentional about asking families about their supports and listening without judgment.

Opening Our Eyes to Natural Supports

When a family comes to the attention of child welfare and they say they have no one, that is a critical starting point.

If they have no one and they are on our radar, then they need someone.

Part of our work is to help families identify and strengthen their natural supports:

We are not there to judge those supports, but to recognize them, organize them, and build on them. We can encourage families to develop new circles of support through faith communities, neighborhood groups, and trusted organizations.

Like Elisha, we can pray and work for eyes to be opened. Not just spiritually, but practically. When families can see who is for them and how to reach them, they are better positioned to be safe and to thrive.

Our Mission and Your Next Step

Our mission with Syncing Child Welfare is to simplify systems and connect communities. Faith communities, agencies, volunteers, and professionals all have a role to play in surrounding families with real support.

If you are a leader, practitioner, or partner who wants to understand how well you are actually aligned with others in this work, a good starting point is to take an honest look at your partnerships.

Start With the 360º Partnership Assessment

The 360º Partnership Assessment is designed to help you:

You can take the 360º Partnership Assessment at www.syncingchildwelfare.com.

Use it with your team, your church, your agency, or your collaborative group as a tool to open your eyes to what is already around you and what still needs to be built.

Stay Connected

If this conversation about faith and the foster care system resonates with you, I would love for you to stay connected.

Visit www.syncingchildwelfare.com to learn more about the Syncing Child Welfare program and to stay updated on resources that help simplify systems and connect communities.

You are not alone in this work. Families are not alone either. Together, with open eyes and open hearts, we can help them see and experience the support that has been surrounding them all along.