South Carolina struggles with urgent need for foster parents across state

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Although the number of children in the foster system has decreased in recent years in South Carolina, the number of those who are willing to house children has also gone down, creating an urgent and necessary need for foster parents.

Charleston County ranks third in the state for the number of children in foster care at 223 behind Richland County,498 and Greenville County,426.

Statewide, the number of youth in the foster system has decreased according to the Department of Social Services.

• 2022: 3,404
• 2023: 3,700
• 2024: 3,383

It’s good news that fewer children are in the system, but the problem is not solved without a home.

The number of regular foster homes in South Carolina has decreased in recent years according to the Department of Social Services, leaving children in the system waiting longer and facing more change than before.

• 2019: 1,793
• 2020: 1,866
• 2021: 1,754
• 2022: 1,586
• 2023: 1,439

The number of foster homes in the state has fluctuated throughout the recent years.(S.C. Department of Social Services)

Vanessa Smalls works as a treatment coordinator for the National Youth Advocate Program, otherwise known as NYAP, which serves as a base for foster care services.

She explained children that who enter the system often do not want to leave their homes and then have to wait hours in an office for someone to say yes and take them in.

“I’m not going to say that the kids are being told no, no, no, like everybody’s saying no, but it’s just the fact that sometimes placements can take just that long. There’s a bunch of no’s, and sometimes when you do get a yes, the yes’s are temporary,” Smalls said.

Smalls said the children of S.C. need foster parents urgently and cannot do it without more people willing to open up their homes and their hearts.

“It’s worth the time, it’s worth the investment, it’s worth the impact because I’ve literally seen the impact that our foster parents have made in the lives of a lot of youth,” Smalls said. “They motivate me to continue to do what I do.”

One Lowcountry resident, Michelle Hannum, and her husband decided to foster for the first time around a year ago and have now taken care of a foster child for almost eight months.

“There’s definitely challenges, but also some really, really awesome times,” Hannum said. “Every day the love and bond that you are forming is really special.”

Since becoming a foster parent, Hannum said many people who hear their story have thought about it, but haven’t committed to the process.

“I would definitely recommend it,” Hannum said. “If there is space, and I’m not talking like physical space, yes, you need the physical space for a child, but just space in your heart where you have that extra love to give.”

“I think that we all think we know what love is, but I think that’s probably the number one thing it’s (fostering) given us,” she added. “Love could be so multidimensional and multi-faceted, but you really don’t know this kind of love until you’ve fostered a child and are there for their needs.”

Offering resources to foster parents is a large part of the National Youth Advocate Program’s mission to ensure that parents are properly trained for any situation and to help the foster children in any way they can.

“We’ll make sure that foster parents and our youth are tapped into the resources that are offered by the state that they may not know about,” Smalls said.

“It really is like a village because there is a lot of for you,” Hannum said. “It may not seem that way at first, but it is there, and it’s all around you. Even within the foster care community, there’s so many people that come out through the woodwork and are there for you.”

For more information about how to become a foster parent with NYAP, click here.

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