Much has changed in child welfare since LSSI was founded in 1867 as an orphanage for children who lost their parents in a cholera epidemic. What has endured is the organization’s commitment to finding new and better ways to support children and families and the willingness of people who answer the call to become foster parents.
Foster parents are needed. In Illinois, nearly 16,000 children live in foster care. Relative caregivers and traditional foster parents are the backbone of LSSI’s Foster Care Program. LSSI is the largest private provider of foster care in Illinois, serving 2,578 children last year. LSSI has 12 foster care offices serving 42 counties in Aurora, Canton, Champaign, Chicago, Danville, Galesburg, Marion, Moline, Nachusa, Rockford, Vienna, and West Peoria.
“We serve so many families, and our staff know so much,” said Chris Hawes, Statewide Foster Parent Licensing & Recruitment Manager. “We learn a lot from each other that we use to support our foster families. It takes a lot to be a foster parent, and we know we must do our part to support them.
In the last decade, LSSI piloted and implemented its evidence-based Therapeutic Foster Care Program to place children with severe trauma and emotional/behavioral needs in family treatment homes. Families Together is a current evidence-based pilot program that seeks to decrease the length of time children spend in foster care. LSSI’s Emergency Foster Parent Initiative provides short-term care to youth until a permanent placement home is found.
The decision to become a foster parent is not an impulsive one. LSSI provides information online and through in-person events where people can learn more.
“The first step is asking questions,” said Hawes. “If you’re thinking about being a foster parent, give us a call or look at our website.”
Learn more at LSSI.org/FosterCare.
