WRAP Programs Help Foster Families Thrive
Nearly 50% of foster parents stop fostering within the first year due to a lack of community support. Faith communities play a vital role in filling this need to change the experiences and outcomes for kids and families in foster and kinship care. WRAP Teams walk alongside foster and kinship families to provide practical, hands-on support. Committed, caring groups of volunteers provide tangible and intangible support, allowing homes to stay open stronger and longer. This helps minimize further trauma by creating safe, stable environments for kids to heal and grow.
WRAP TEAM MEMBERS
If families in your faith community commit to the critical work of foster care, we recommend building a network of support for their journey. WRAP team members walk alongside the messy, beautiful work of foster parents providing support to ease stress and reduce burnout. The responsibilities of each WRAP team member can be specialized to their unique passions and skills.
- Love details? Organize a meal train or collect gift cards for the foster family
- Enjoy driving? Using your car to run errands or help transport to appointments
- Have a few minutes to shop? Pick up some new clothes for each placement
- Like a clean house? Do laundry and tidy the house
- Handy? Paint and prep a bedroom or mow a foster family’s lawn
- Great at communicating? Send encouraging texts or mail a handwritten note
- Prayer warrior? Pray for the kids, foster parents, biological parents and case workers each week
- Want to spend time outside? Take kids to the park to give parents a break or go on outings with other kids in home to allow parents 1-on-1 time with each kiddo
WRAP COORDINATORS
We encourage this person and/or team of people to have the gifts of administration and mobilization of groups.
- Identify Foster/Kinship/Adoptive Families
- Promote WRAP to recruit WRAP Volunteers
- Work with volunteers and families to decide the frequency of support needed
- Encourage WRAP Team Leaders to stay engaged and thank them for serving
- Share stories with Tennessee Kids Belong and ask for coaching when needed
- Maintain a database of volunteers, as well as Supported Families in the FAM Software
- Set up volunteer trainings and family meet and greets
- Confirm volunteer background checks and mandated reporter training are complete
****Note: Before attending WRAP Coordinator Training, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND our Intro to FAM and FAM Basics courses first.
(Please allow 7-10 days for FAM Basics Guidebook to arrive.)
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about a WRAP ministry in your faith community, don’t hesitate to reach out!