What's It Like?
As a Foster Friends volunteer, you'll help supervise and engage with children ranging from newborns to teens (though most tend to be elementary school graders), so parents in the adjoining suites can focus on getting the help they need. Average turnout is about 12 children. First priority is safety, then fun.
Our room is stocked with toys, games, books and movies.
We encourage you to take initiative and share any creative ideas or special skills you have with your volunteer supervisor. Our younger ones respond so well to organized activities, such as storytelling, arts and crafts, singing, dancing and games. And our older ones can always use a mentor and benefit from acquiring new life skills, experiences and opportunities.
We always need more good parents too, so if you’re interested in fostering or adopting, speak to your volunteer supervisor!
We meet on the third Thursday of every month (almost). No minimum commitment, but regulars are greatly appreciated so our children, families and staff can get to know you!
More About Children in Foster Care
-Sensitivity: Many of our clients have endured some form of abuse or neglect and may be separated from their biological families, while still other families remain at risk, due to a history of abuse or neglect or other factors relating to resources, education, support, health, addiction or preparedness. Therefore, when working directly with children and families, keep in mind the following:
-As a role model, be a good listener and provide emotional support and positive reinforcement. But don’t request sensitive information or to hear their personal story unless it’s shared.
-Don’t impose religious or partisan political beliefs.
-Respect and celebrate diversity.
-Some kids might display one of two extreme behaviors – either hyper-detachment (avoiding eye contact, not speaking, running away), or hyper-attachment (grabbing your hand, not wanting you to leave). Your patience, understanding, compassion and commitment can go a long way towards establishing trust and healthy boundaries.
-In the event a client becomes agitated, aggressive or otherwise presents a challenging behavior, immediately seek help from CHS staff. Never take it upon yourself to discipline a child.
-All that said, our kids are kids! They want to learn, have fun, feel safe and loved, and be treated like any other kid.
We're Not an Orphanage: Many volunteers new to our organization think we’re still literally a “children’s home” or “orphanage.” We’re not. Thankfully, child welfare services has evolved a lot over the years, and the goal in the 21st century, aside from an end to generational cycles of abuse and neglect, is normalcy for youth in foster care. This means a family for every child where possible, and reunification with biological parents where possible. It’s not always possible, and some kids and young adults do in fact live in group homes and transitional living facilities, where volunteer opportunities are available depending on your area of Florida. But this is the exception rather than the rule, and the majority of our volunteer opportunities with children are with parents and families in the same or next room.
Important Volunteer Restrictions
-For the protection of our children and families, we have a strict no-camera policy. Under no circumstances can you take a photo of a client’s face or otherwise capture their likeness or identity.
-If you're not a Level 2 volunteer (meaning your CHS screening did not include fingerprinting), please remember:
-You are not permitted to have ANY UNSUPERVISED contact with minors under the age of 18. A CHS supervisor will and must have you in their line of sight at all times. This means, for example, you can NOT take a child to the bathroom or be alone with a child even for a brief moment. Instead, you must ask your supervisor for assistance.
-You can only work with minors under the age of 18 UNDER 10 hours per month, meaning a maximum of 9.9 hours per month (though you're welcome to volunteer all you want in other activities not involving minors). We ask you to help us by regularly tracking your hours.