Foster Care Awareness Month Underscores Need for Culturally Connected Homes & Community Support

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to recognize children in care and the families and communities who support them. For the Chickasaw Nation, support extends beyond providing safe, temporary homes — it is about strengthening Chickasaw communities and families, and providing opportunities which support and preserve First American well-being and culture.

Joni Wellington, Chickasaw Nation Director of Family Preservation, has spent years walking alongside that mission. While the work is difficult, she said she and her team are encouraged by the impact they are making.

“Just those little wins — you have to celebrate those and really focus on those,” Wellington said. “When you can see a child go home and be reunited with their mom and their dad, it really warms your heart. It just gives you hope.”

That hope is central to the Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program.

“This is supposed to be a temporary service that’s provided,” Randi Pope, foster care resource manager for the Chickasaw Nation, said. “Our goal is that these children can go back to a home where conditions that led to the removal were corrected.”

The Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program provides temporary or permanent homes for First American children placed in tribal or state custody. Administered by Chickasaw Nation Family Preservation, the staff works tirelessly to ensure children in their care are placed in homes prioritizing stability and cultural connection.

“The foster care program aims to connect children in care to their culture, kin and community,” Pope said.

For many children, the Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program is the first introduction to their culture, she said.

“There are several times kids don’t know much about their culture, and so, coming into foster care, this may be the first time that they’ve heard a lot about their tribe and who they are,” Pope said.

That introduction to First American culture can shape a child’s identity long after they leave care. While the Chickasaw Nation Foster Program continues to expand, so does the need for foster parents. Pope said an increase in cases handled by the Chickasaw Nation has intensified that demand.

“Our child welfare program has grown. They are taking on a lot more work,” Pope said. “The more cases they investigate, the bigger need there could be for foster families.”

Dozens of children are currently placed in the Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program, ranging from infants to 17-year-olds — many of whom are part of sibling groups. While keeping siblings together is always a priority, limited foster families and placement challenges can make that goal difficult.

“Our children need us,” Pope said. “They need someone to step in and be there until they can be returned to their family.”

Pope said apprehensions about foster care can sometimes discourage people from getting involved.

“We hear so often, ‘Oh, I could never do that. I could never love on a child and then send them back,’” Pope said. “However, you are making such an important impact in that child’s life when they have someplace they can go to. They have someplace where they can be safe.”

She acknowledged hesitation is common when it comes to fostering teenagers, but it is often based on misjudgments.

“Our team understands that fostering older children can feel intimidating at first. Many families feel the same way. However, older youth in care need the exact same things younger kids do — stability, guidance, patience and someone who believes in them,” Pope said. “Many families tell us fostering older youth ended up being one of the most meaningful experiences of their fostering journey.”

Pope said it is important for foster parents of teenagers to know they do not have to be perfect — they just need to show up and be a stable presence in the child’s life.

“Older children aren’t looking for perfect parents or even people to replace their parents,” Pope said. “They are looking for someone who sees their potential, listens to them and helps them build the skills they need for adulthood.”

Pope said foster parents who are adaptable and open-minded are crucial to their mission.

“People who are flexible, who are willing to truly get to know these kids and believe in reunifying children with their families, because when those children can go back, we know that their family unit is much stronger,” Pope said. “So, we want people who are willing to work with those biological families.”

Ultimately, the goal is not to replace families but to support them. Wellington emphasized reunification is central to the program’s purpose, with approximately 74% of children leaving Chickasaw Nation Foster Care and returning home to biological parents or entering into guardianship with a relative.

“The kids want to go back home — they want to be with their families,” Wellington said.

Fostering is only one part of how children and families can be supported. Both Wellington and Pope emphasized positive impact can come from a broader circle of care.

“I would say that everyone can do something,” Pope said. “If people aren’t able to foster, there are ways to help youth in foster care.”

Support can be as simple as providing meals to foster families, donating essential items or offering time and skills. Pope said the program has an account set up with the Chickasaw Foundation if people are interested in contributing.

“That money goes toward our children,” Pope said. “If we have a child come in with an immediate need, the money can be used to help meet that need.”

For those who choose to foster, they are not expected to walk the journey alone. Pope ensures people fostering through the Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program are supported every step of the way.

“We walk alongside families with training, support and resources to help families feel confident,” Pope said.

As Foster Care Awareness Month is recognized, Pope encourages anyone interested in fostering with or contributing to the Chickasaw Nation Foster Care Program in some way to reach out.

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