When I talk to people about foster care I get a lot of responses. People are always telling me why they could never invest themselves in these kids. There is the standard “I’d get too attached” response that while it frustrates me (Of course you would! That’s the point. These kids need people to attach to them.), I think I get most baffled by people who shrug and say they’d love to do something but “the system is just too broken.” Maybe they follow this up with an anecdotal story about a friend’s cousin who had a foster child that went back to an unsafe biological family member or they speak disparagingly of caseworkers and judges who are overburdened and just don’t care. So why get involved if the system is so broken kids aren’t getting the help they need?

Here’s my easy answer:  BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN THAT KIDS AREN’T GETTING THE HELP THEY NEED.

“The system is too broken” is not a good excuse   www.herviewfromhome.com

I have seen unmotivated caseworkers who don’t seem to understand that a year in the life of an infant is their actual whole life. We can’t just ask these little ones to wait to attach and love and have stability until we decide on their permanency path. I’ve seen cases that defy all logic and reason– children who haven’t seen their biological parents in years, but the court still holds out hope that they will reappear so they are stuck in legal limbo. I’ve known about visits where domestic violence is actually happening during the supervised visitation the parents have with the child. Parents who test positive for meth are allowed to continue that day’s visit with their child. Being in jail is considered an adequate excuse for missing visits and may not be held against the parent. A child’s attorney never actually attempts to meet with the child. Laws are enacted that keep kids stuck in a system that doesn’t value their need for permanency in a timely fashion. Foster parents see their kids as a good deed to perform or as an annoyance or a paycheck.

Yes. The system can be broken. But why is that an excuse to not do something about it?

“The system is too broken” is not a good excuse   www.herviewfromhome.com
Rebecca Tredway Photography

If you’re disgusted that some foster parents seem to be “in it for the money”, then it’s time for you to become the kind of foster parent who is motivated by love for a child and their family. If you’re frustrated that caseworkers don’t seem to care about the kids on their caseload, then become a foster parent who can be an encouragement to a discouraged and frustrated caseworker. If you’re upset that judges don’t take into account the best interests of a child, then become a foster parent that brings the child to court so the judge sees their face and knows she’s making decisions about real people.

We need foster parents that see a broken system and start thinking of solutions. Foster parenting is ultimately an act of diplomacy as you do your best to get a team of people working towards the same goal– whatever is best for this child. Foster parents have no rights, but we have influence when we use our voices to advocate in peaceful and positive ways. It would be easy to just get angry at how much we invest and how little input we may have, but this isn’t a situation where you can take your ball and go home. These kids are worth more than that.

They are held hostage by a system that moves slowly. We can get frustrated about that, shrug our shoulders and feel better about our decision to not get involved, or we can be the safe place these kids call home while they wait. Every day with a child in foster care is a gift. We have no idea how long we’ll have to tell them they are loved, teach them how to brush their teeth, or do their homework, or learn how to drive. While that broken system drags its feet, we get to love these precious kids and build trust back into their lives as much as we can. And all the while, we are working to change that broken system from the inside, by earning our voice.

“The system is too broken” is not a good excuse   www.herviewfromhome.com
Rebecca Tredway Photography

Being a foster parent is about recognizing your role in the process. You can’t necessarily fix the system, but your job is to hold the hand of the one who is wounded by its brokenness. This is not an easy job. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but it was also the right thing to do for the good of a child who needed a family. If that doesn’t sound like something you could bring yourself to do, you’re still not off the hook. A broken system when it comes to the welfare of our most vulnerable children means we must ALL participate in finding a solution.

We can’t all be foster parents, but we can all do something. Can you fix the system by becoming a caseworker? A lawyer that represents foster kids? A DHHS policy maker? Can you go through the training and be a CASA so the child’s voice will be adequately heard in court? Can you join a third party advocacy group (in Nebraska that would be the Foster Care Review Office) in providing oversight and accountability? Can you talk to the lawmakers in your state about the struggles of foster kids? Can you show up at public hearings for laws that impact foster families and offer support? Can you run for office?

“The system is too broken” is not a good excuse   www.herviewfromhome.com
Renae Morehead Photography

I have seen beautiful things happen in this broken system. I have seen caseworkers that love these children like their own and grieve when the case doesn’t go as it should. I have had agency workers take time away from their own weekend plans to answer my frustrated questions. I ran into one of our judges out in the community and she remembered all of my kids, even the ones who weren’t on her caseload. I have seen advocacy organizations do the hard work of arguing against the stated case plan. I have seen biological families fight the odds and become successful, safe, loving parents. And over and over and over again I have seen foster parents make incredible sacrifices to provide the best of what a family can be to a child in need. When you only notice the brokenness of the system, you haven’t seen  the individuals involved who are fighting for change and motivated by love. 

Foster kids need advocates, not excuses. They need educated, passionate, go-getters to change this broken system. You can be part of that change!

For more information about foster care in Nebraska, contact Christian Heritage.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Maralee Bradley

Maralee is a mom of six pretty incredible kids. Four were adopted (one internationally, three through foster care) and two were biological surprises. Prior to becoming parents, Maralee and her husband were houseparents at a children’s home and had the privilege of helping to raise 17 boys during their five year tenure. Maralee is passionate about caring for kids, foster parenting and adoption, making her family a fairly decent dinner every night, staying on top of the laundry, watching ridiculous documentaries and doing it all for God’s glory. Maralee can be heard on My Bridge Radio talking about motherhood and what won't fit in a 90 second radio segment ends up at www.amusingmaralee.com.

If You Give a Foster Family a Chicken Dinner

In: Foster Care, Kids
If You Give a Foster Family a Chicken Dinner www.herviewfromhome.com

If you give a foster family a chicken dinner, They might have extra time to spend with their foster child. When they have extra time to spend with their foster child, They’ll spend it taking a walk, looking at flowers. When they spend it on a walk looking at flowers, They learn more about each other because they aren’t feeling stressed by dinner prep. When they learn more about each other because they aren’t feeling stressed, They are able to work on forming a healthy attachment. If they’re able to work on forming a healthy attachment, They’re creating a foundation...

Keep Reading

Loving My Children’s Other Mother

In: Adoption, Foster Care, Kids
Loving My Children's Other Mother www.herviewfromhome.com

A few days have passed since the whole world shouted out how amazing their mothers are. I was not left behind. Beautiful cards and flowers decorate our home. However, it’s the sweet faces around my table that are the most beautiful part of my life. Our lives together have been hard-fought. We are a family built by unexpected pregnancy, foster care, adoption and choice. It never fails on days like these where celebrations and cheers ring out that I am aware my celebration is the sound of heartbreak to someone else. This particular Mother’s Day was different than most. I...

Keep Reading

When it’s Time to Stop Being a Foster Mom

In: Adoption, Foster Care, Kids, Motherhood
When it's Time to Stop Being a Foster Mom www.herviewfromhome.com

I’m still not okay with calling myself a “former foster mom.” It just doesn’t feel right. My heart is still so in the world of foster care as I support families in the trenches and continue to deal with post foster care issues with my kids. After five years in group home work and 7 years as foster parents, I can’t imagine a time when foster care won’t be on my heart and in my mind, but for this season we are not active foster parents.  This has been a weird loss of identity that I’ve struggled to put words...

Keep Reading

Dear Foster Parents: Please Remember The “Older Ones”

In: Foster Care, Kids

My husband and I have recently shared the news that we are in the process of becoming foster parents. I was as excited to celebrate this news with family and friends as I was to celebrate the pregnancies of our two babies. I have been overwhelmed by the love and support we have been shown. So many of our people have reached out to offer words of wisdom and kindness as we prepare for this beautiful and heartbreaking journey ahead of us. But I was upset by a comment I received the other day over the phone. “Just watch out...

Keep Reading

Siblings’ Plea to Be Adopted Together Has Gone Viral and They Live In YOUR Town

In: Adoption, Foster Care, Kids

Foster care and adoption are sort of my thing. I follow, approximately, every single foster care and adoption page on the internet. So when a foster or adoption story goes viral, I see it over and over again. Once it was the story of a foster mom who broke down when she found her foster son’s toothbrush. We all cried over that one. Another time it was the ten year old boy who pleaded with a church congregation for someone to, please, adopt him. “I’ll adopt you!” I cried, along with every other mother who watched. This week it was...

Keep Reading

Sex Trafficking is YOUR Problem (and one thing you can do to help)

In: Foster Care, Kids
Sex Trafficking is YOUR Problem (and one thing you can do to help) www.herviewfromhome.com

I’m going to be really honest with you about the evolution of my understanding of sex trafficking. I’m wondering if maybe it’s been your process, too. Step 1: Sex trafficking is a really bad thing that happens in other countries where there are brothels and American businessmen pay for sex. Somebody should do something about that. Step 2: Sex trafficking is a really bad thing that happens in my country where desperate women with drug problems trade their bodies for money and dangerous pimps make money off of it. We should do something about that. Step 3: Sex trafficking is...

Keep Reading

I Can Be The Attention He Has Not Received: Our Foster Care Journey

In: Foster Care, Homeschool, Kids
I Can Be The Attention He Has Not Received: Our Foster Care Journey www.herviewfromhome.com

This two-year-old beats at my leg and I scoop him into my lap. He has spent the last ten minutes indiscriminately throwing objects within reach and screaming drooly screams and thrashing his body to slam cupboards or furniture or whatever will bring an appropriately satisfying crash. In short, we’ve been riding out a typical two-year-old meltdown. But he’s not a typical two-year-old. He’s a foster kid with zero calming strategies. There is no pulling him back from the ledge he has emotionally stepped off. There is only existing in this space together and being there to hold him once exhaustion...

Keep Reading

Ready To Be Done With These Multi-Colored Maps? There’s One More You Have To See.

In: Adoption, Foster Care, Kids, Motherhood
Ready To Be Done With These Multi-Colored Maps? There's One More You Have To See. www.herviewfromhome.com

My eyes have probably seen these multi-colored state maps a thousand times over the past week or so. I was fairly vocal on social media about this election, but even I finally got to the point where I. am. done. with it all. I even contemplated staying off of Facebook for a while, but, I mean, what kind of person do you think I am? I am of the opinion that, no matter who you voted for, we should all just share a collective vat of wine and never talk about parties and swing states and campaigns ever again. The...

Keep Reading

Today I Hate Foster Care

In: Adoption, Foster Care, Kids
Today I Hate Foster Care www.herviewfromhome.com

Can I be honest? Today I hate foster care. I hate what it has done to people I love– adults and children alike. I hate how hopeless it has made me about the government’s ability to do anything right. I hate how good people in the system get burned out by how impossible it seems to make any kind of positive change, but bad people (foster parents, caseworkers, lawyers, etc.) can do this for ages because they don’t really care. I hate that I encourage people into this hard work and then they get wounded and I feel in some...

Keep Reading

The Children in Our Hearts: A Foster Care Story

In: Faith, Foster Care, Kids, Motherhood
The Children in Our Hearts: A Foster Care Story www.herviewfromhome.com

My husband and I said we would never foster a child. We thought it was something we just weren’t called to do. It would be too hard. Have you ever noticed that right around the time you start adamantly declaring that you can’t and won’t do something, God steps in? He reminds you that you have simply forgotten that His power is made perfect in your weakness. We moved to Uganda right around Mother’s Day. A few hours away from our new town a baby girl, whose mother passed away, was born right around Mother’s Day. A few short weeks...

Keep Reading