FOSTER CARE: LSG Celebrates National Foster Care Month!

In honor of May being National Foster Care Month, Lutheran Services of Georgia (LSG) would like to recognize the compassionate people who make a difference in children’s lives by serving as foster parents, advocates, social workers and volunteers. This month and throughout the year, LSG works in conjunction with these generous individuals to find and support loving foster homes for children in Georgia.

LSG provides foster care services for children who have been placed in the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services for protection from abuse or neglect, as well as for children committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice for delinquency.

According to Katherine McKenzie, senior program manager in LSG’s Savannah office, foster parents provide for the safety and wellbeing of the child while the birth family completes tasks necessary for their return home. The LSG foster parents bring the children into their homes, their lives and their hearts.

“If there is not a foster home available in a foster child’s home county, he or she often must be moved away,” McKenzie said. “In addition to being to separation from his or her birth family, this move further disrupts a child's life by forcing them to change schools and leave a familiar place. Moving the child out of county can also result in fewer visits with family members if the family doesn’t have the means to travel independently.”

Along with foster care services, LSG also works to reunify birth parents with their children in foster care whenever possible through Family Intervention Services (FIS), which offers programs such as parenting classes, supervised visitation, counseling and transportation.

May is a time to celebrate the important role that foster parents play in nurturing and caring for Coastal Georgia’s children. We appreciate all you do!