HELENA — It’s a call that foster families answer — a call to take in a child they likely do not know.
Answering that call can make a big difference in the lives of children going through a difficult situation, but right now, there are not enough foster families in Montana to meet the needs of children in foster care.
“When the department calls them on the phone and says ‘will you take these kids,’ the foster families open their hearts and their homes and give these kids a special place to live,” CASA volunteer Loretta Miller said. “There isn’t anybody more special on this earth than foster families.”
Watch to hear from advocates about the foster care needs in Montana:
Miller has volunteered with CASA — Court Appointed Special Advocates — of Lewis and Clark and Broadwater Counties for nearly 20 years.
CASA provides volunteer guardians, like Miller, to advocate for the best interests of kids.
“The parents have to have been involved with the abuse and neglect system before we can get involved,” Miller said.
After coming from abuse or neglect situations, having a safe, stable place for kids to go is important, and that’s where foster families come in.
“They have everything they need physically and emotionally at that time from these families,” CASA volunteer Lynda Hanson said.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services DPHHS) reports, around 2,200 Montana children enter foster care each year.
Data collected by the national nonprofit child welfare publication The Imprint shows there were 1,200 licensed foster families in Montana in 2023.
If a foster family is not available for a child, they may end up in a group home. Child Bridge foster parent coach Chanté Williams said group homes are often for children with behavioral needs, and can be a stressful environment for children who don’t have those same needs.
“Nothing about foster care is normal, but if you let a kid go to a foster home versus a group home, that’s as normal as we can try to be,” Williams said.
DPHHS requires licensed foster families to complete an initial 18 hours of training, then go through 15 hours of training each year. Nonprofit Child Bridge provides support and free training for foster families on topics from trauma to building strong relationships.
“At Child Bridge, we do our best to equip our families as much as possible,” Williams said. “We go over everything.”
Williams is not just a foster family coach at Child Bridge; she is also a foster parent. While it can be challenging, she said it is also rewarding.
“You can make such a huge impact—positive—on their lives just by welcoming them into your home, giving them love, and just being willing to let them be kids.”
You can find more information about becoming a foster parent on both the Child Bridge and DPHHS websites.
