C.A.S.E. Honors National Foster Care Month

Each May, National Foster Care Month—an initiative led by the Children’s Bureau—shines a light on the complex realities of foster care in America. It’s a time to raise awareness about the challenges children, youth, and families face within the foster care system. It’s also a time to honor the dedication of foster parents, birth parents, kinship caregivers, child welfare professionals, policymakers, and all those who work to ensure permanency, stability, and healing for children and youth.

At the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), we recognize that the journey through foster care doesn’t end with permanency or aging out—it continues to shape lives in profound ways. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to elevate the voices and stories of those with lived experience. Through programs such as our Strengthening Your Family Webinar Series, we’ve hosted panel discussions, published articles, and highlighted personal narratives that reveal the lasting impact of time spent in foster care.

One powerful takeaway from these conversations is the desire of former foster youth to transform the very systems they grew up in. Some aged out of care, others were adopted—but all spoke with insight and passion about what needs to change. As Chauncey Strong, Executive Director of Strong Training and Consulting, shared during one of our panels, “The same level of support we give to a foster parent and to an adoptive parent, we should be giving to birth parents.” There are many ways we can improve the lives of those impacted by Foster Care. At C.A.S.E., we believe first and foremost in listening to the reflections of people with lived experience.

At C.A.S.E., we believe change starts with listening. This month, and every month, let’s uplift and honor the voices of those most impacted.