Our mission is to provide advocacy and innovative programming which supports and empowers foster children, their families, and alumni impacted by the child welfare system. In 1998, a group of dedicated foster parents recognized a need for stronger support, training, and companionship as they pursued the difficult and rewarding work of parenting children from the foster care system. Many felt isola
ted and ill-equipped to provide the most loving care for kids who experienced abuse and neglect. As more and more families were drawn to the care and advocacy offered, this support system quickly matured into FosterAdopt Connect (formerly Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association), which was incorporated in 2000 as a 501c3 nonprofit social service organization. Rapid growth fueled by the needs of youth who age out of foster care, and foster and adopted children and families, have expanded the geographic reach and depth of the innovative programs and services offered. Yet at its core, FosterAdopt Connect maintains an “in the trenches with you” approach to serving kids and families. Every kid deserves a childhood free of abuse and neglect within a family that offers love, stability, safety. FosterAdopt Connect actively monitors the changing needs of foster and adopted children and families within the community to identify gaps in available services. To fill these gaps, we search nationally and internationally for best practices to implement, and if none are available, we create innovative solutions to improve outcomes for the children and families we serve. We recruit, support, and retain high-level, quality foster and adoptive homes for kids through training and direct services. We believe strongly in the value of children placed in families and work to recruit and equip foster and adoptive families. We believe in the power of advocacy and use our voices at the local, state, and national level to create positive change for child welfare. We implement programs that specifically respond to the needs of the most at-risk children in the foster care community.
