Support Circles are matched up with a foster family and provide ongoing support by first forming a natural and trusted relationship with that family. Their purpose is to ensure foster parents know they are not alone and have a team of people cheering them on and showing up to support them when and where they need it most.

The Youth in the Building Team partners with the social workers and care aides who provide care for youth who are temporarily residing in the Wake County Child Welfare Office. Our most consistent engagement up to this point has been providing a team of volunteers willing to be ‘on call’ to pick up, wash, and return laundry for the youth who are waiting for a more permanent placement.

The Fast Response Team supports foster families and support circles when a quick response is needed. It’s important for those who serve on this team to see themselves as “on call.” When a need arises, the Fostering Hope team reaches out to this group to see if anyone is able to deliver something to a family or run an errand that is time sensitive. This is most commonly needed for brand new placements within foster families that do not yet have an active Support Circle.

The Fostering Hope General Volunteer Team has a wide range of opportunities, including serving as hosts and greeters for in-person experiences like foster family information meetings and reunification support groups as well as providing support for bigger initiatives like sorting and stuffing duffel bags for displaced youth entering into the care of a new family or facility.