May has long been recognized as Foster Care Month. Nationwide, more than 390,000 kids need a foster family, and in Tennessee, more than 8,000 kids need foster homes with approximately 4,000 foster homes available. The need is great, especially for teenagers and sibling groups. Amy Abbott of Memphis, TN, opened her home for foster placements in August 2021, with the help and preparation from Youth Villages, a national leader in children’s mental and behavioral health which also recruits and trains families for foster care and adoption in Tennessee.
Before having kids of her own, Amy was an elementary school teacher. When her children were older, she worked for another nonprofit helping kids. When her family circumstances allowed, Amy researched foster care after discussing it with her kids. At the time, her son was still in high school, and her daughter was in college, so she was interested in fostering another teen.
“I stood fast for my need for a teen in the home,” said Amy.
Aaron, then age 12, came into her home shortly after she opened for fostering. He had been in foster care for eight months at that time.
“Originally, I looked into foster care to help families with reunification,” Amy said. “That was my sole purpose — to give parents a temporary break to get back on track and to give kids stability, to build relationships with the parents and Youth Villages, and to get the kids back to their biological families.”
For Aaron, going back to his biological family wasn’t an option. Aaron recognized he was thriving with Amy. His grades in school improved and he got involved in school activities.
“Aaron has made the most amazing transformations, academically and socially, while also improving his communication skills and increasing his confidence,” said Amy.
Fourteen months after opening her home to Aaron, Amy adopted him in the fall of 2022. Aaron is a teenager now, succeeding in a structured environment.
When it comes to fostering, there are all kinds of options for families. Foster families can be single parents, couples with or without children, older couples; just about any household with room to care for and support children in foster care. Some foster children are fostered to adopt, some are fostered to reunite with their family, and some will be respite visits for weekends or week-long stays. In many instances, fostering is not about adoption, but providing support for a child and a family until they can be reunited. Foster parents provide support and a loving home to children during a time in their lives when they need it most to help them reunite with their families, safely.
Foster parents undergo extensive training before being approved to take in a foster child, including trauma and collaborative problem-solving. Youth Villages also sets up check-ins and counseling on a mutually agreed schedule with the parents and the children, apart and together. Youth Villages counselors are available at any time to help with situations that may arise.
If fostering isn’t for your family right now, you can still help another foster family in your community by helping with yard work, providing a dinner or running a quick errand for them. Anything that you can do will make the family even more successful.
If you are interested in fostering, Amy recommends reaching out to other foster parents and calling Youth Villages to ask questions.
“If this is your calling, it doesn't feel like work,” said Amy.
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, you can sign up for an information session, certification classes (TN-KEY), or speak with a representative at the Department of Children’s Services or another partnering agency.
- Youth Villages – 1-888-MY-YV-KID or youthvillages.org/foster
- Department of Children’s Services - 1-877-DCS-KIDS or tn.gov/dcs