May is National Foster Care Month, an observance that raises awareness about the challenges and needs of children in foster care and recognizes the efforts of foster parents, child welfare professionals and the broader community who support these youth. The observance began in 1988. 

In Michigan, approximately 10,000 children are currently in foster care and there are approximately 6,000 foster parents, according to Judson Center Chief Strategy Officer George Winn. Last year, Judson Center helped train more than 3,000 individuals to become foster parents, but there is still an ongoing need for additional foster families. 

Approximately half of Michigan’s foster children are successfully returned home or placed with relatives. Foster care placements vary in length, lasting anywhere from a few months to several years. 

National Foster Care Month also raises awareness for the need for a child welfare system that fully supports young people, including those preparing to leave or “age out” of foster care. In Michigan, this includes efforts to help youth ages 16-21 through programs like Independent Living Services, which aid in the transition from foster care to independent adulthood. 

“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with Winn about the needs of foster children in Michigan and the role of foster parents.