At any given moment, there are around 400,000 children experiencing foster care in the United States — and 8,000-9,000 of them are here in Massachusetts. But with only about 5,500 licensed foster parents statewide, we’re facing a hard truth: not every child who goes through the trauma of being separated from their family will have a safe, loving foster home readily available. More foster parents are needed.
As the largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive foster care in Massachusetts, we believe that to solve this challenge, we need to first understand it. That’s why HopeWell commissioned a statewide survey of Massachusetts residents on the topics of foster care and foster parenting.
What does the public know about foster care? What misconceptions are floating around out there? What are the barriers to people becoming foster parents?
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About the Survey
Survey respondents were Massachusetts residents ages 25-64 and mirrored statewide demographics, such as gender, race/ethnicity, religion, political views, and more. The survey found a widespread lack of familiarity with foster care in Massachusetts — at the outset, less than half of respondents could identify the correct definition of foster care.
However, once people were provided with information about what is asked of foster parents and what supports are available, interest in becoming a foster parent grew by more than 60 percent!
Among those who had never fostered before, more than one-third said they would “very seriously” or “somewhat seriously” consider becoming a foster parent. If this were expanded statewide — and even a fraction of those who became more interested in fostering took the next step — the state’s foster parent shortage would be solved, and every child experiencing foster care in Massachusetts would have a safe, loving place to go when they need it most.
Survey Results
Click on the image below and use the arrows to explore the survey results.