Every May 31st we celebrate Foster Care Day, a date that invites us to reflect on the importance of offering a home to all those children and adolescents who, for various circumstances, cannot live with their biological families. At Soñar Despierto, we believe that foster care changes lives, providing love, stability and a safe environment to those who need it most, but above all we believe that the best place for a child to grow up will always be a family.
This year we wanted to send a message: Children living in shelters carry with them a backpack full of experiences. This backpack fills up in many ways: school failure, insecurities, emotional instability...
With foster care, this backpack does not always disappear, but it is supported by everyone.
What is Foster Care?
Foster care is a child protection measure that consists of the integration of a minor in the nucleus of a foster family, on a temporary or permanent basis. This process allows children and adolescents to live in a family environment while the circumstances that prevent them from remaining with their family of origin are resolved. Unlike adoption, foster care does not break the legal ties with the biological family, but complements them, always seeking the welfare of the child.
The Importance of Foster Care
Foster care is crucial because it offers children an alternative to institutionalization, allowing them to grow up in a family environment. Several studies have shown that children in foster care have better emotional, social and academic development compared to those living in institutions. Living with a foster family provides them with more personalized attention, affection and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships.
Types of Foster Care
There are different types of foster care to suit the needs of each child and each family:
- Emergency Foster Care: Provides a temporary home while a long-term solution is found.
- Temporary Foster Care: Offers care for a determined period of time, with the objective of returning the child to his/her biological family.
- Permanent foster care: Given when reunification with the family of origin is not possible, but adoption is not contemplated.
- Specialized Foster Care: For children with special needs or complex circumstances.
How You Can Help
On Foster Care Day, we want to encourage more people to consider becoming foster families. Here are some ways you can help:
- Get Informed and Raise Awareness: Learning more about foster care and sharing this information in your community can have a positive impact and who knows... maybe even a foster family in your area!
- Volunteering: You can collaborate as a volunteer in one of our programs: family volunteering, accompaniment, leisure, camps... Perhaps today you cannot host but you can accompany them while they are in the residences.
- DonationsDonations: Contribute financially to help us sustain our support, scholarship and training programs for foster children.
At Daydreaming, we continue to dream of a world where all children can live and grow up in a home. Today is a good day to start dreaming!
