This page includes resources, information, and links to help support you and your family. If you have additional questions or would like to speak with a member of our team, please give us a call at 800-762-8063.
Recorded Trainings
Relational Permanency: The Role of Foster Parents in Supporting Child Relationships An exploration of what relational permanency means for youth in care — and the vital role foster parents play in helping children build and maintain lifelong connections with caring adults.
Foster Parents Supporting Birth Parents: Considerations for Success Practical guidance for foster parents on building a supportive relationship with birth parents — and why that partnership ultimately makes the biggest difference for the children you both care about.
Seasons Change: Understanding Transition & Change for Foster Parents An honest look at the many transitions foster parents experience throughout their fostering journey — and how to navigate the inevitable changes with resilience and grace.
Let’s Talk: Preparing Your Home to Welcome a Child Warm, practical guidance for foster parents on creating a space where children feel genuinely welcomed — whether you’re opening your home for the first time or the fifteenth.
Let’s Talk: The Halo Effect — Normalizing Feelings and Experiences A grounding, humor-touched session for foster parents who’ve been called angels and heroes — and who know firsthand that the reality is far more complicated and human than that.
Let’s Talk: Reunification An open, honest conversation about one of fostering’s most complex emotional experiences — supporting a child’s reunification with their birth family when your heart is fully invested.
Downloadable Handouts
Holiday Plan of Action Checklist: A step-by-step checklist to help foster families prepare for the holidays, manage expectations, and ease the transitions that can make this season especially hard for children in care.
Comfort Calls: Building Connections and Easing Transitions for Children and Families An introduction to comfort calls and how foster families can use regular phone or video check-ins to help children maintain connection and feel supported through placement transitions.
Virtual Resource Kit: Welcoming a Child to Your Family with Open Arms and Loving Hearts A curated collection of resources for foster families preparing to welcome a child into their home — covering practical preparation, building connection, and supporting a child’s transition.
Virtual Resource Kit: Working with Birth Parents Resources and guidance for foster caregivers on building respectful, collaborative relationships with birth parents in support of the child’s well-being and, where applicable, reunification.
Practical Tip Sheets
Is Fostering a Good Fit? Things to Consider: A comprehensive, honest guide for families weighing the decision to foster — addressing common questions and concerns, including how to have the conversation with your own children.
Choosing a Foster Care Agency: Key questions to ask, things to look for, and insights from current foster families to help you find the agency that’s the right fit for your fostering journey.
Foster Care Firsts: What Your Journey May Include A candid look at the joys, challenges, and unexpected moments that come with fostering — practical perspective for families just starting out and those still finding their footing.
Preparing Kids in Your Home for Fostering Thoughtful guidance for foster parents on how to talk with the children already in your home about welcoming a new child — and how to set everyone up for success.
Foster Parents and Social Workers: Allies & Advocates for Youth in Care A practical look at how foster parents and social workers can work as true partners — with tips for building a collaborative relationship that puts children’s outcomes first.
Preparing to Go to Court: Straightforward guidance for foster parents navigating the court process — what to expect, how to prepare, and how to show up confidently for the children in your care.
Ten Tips to Survive an Allegation: Grounded, practical advice for foster parents facing the frightening and disorienting experience of a maltreatment allegation — and how to protect yourself and your family through it.
Foster Care, Grief & Loss: An in-depth look at the grief and loss woven throughout the foster care experience — from the perspectives of foster parents, birth parents, and the children at the center of it all.
Learning to Let Go: Coping With Reunification Anxiety An honest, compassionate guide to the complex emotions foster parents experience as a child prepares to return home — and how to navigate goodbye with love and resilience.
Respecting the Confidentiality of Children in Care and Their Families: Essential guidance for foster parents on Wisconsin’s confidentiality laws and what they mean for how you talk about — and protect — the children and families in your care.
Wisconsin Family Support Groups & Support Associations
This comprehensive directory of family support groups and associations in Wisconsin is organized by both statewide and regional options, as well as online resources.
Wisconsin Foster Closets
Foster closets are community-based resources that provide free or low-cost clothing, supplies, and other essential items for children and families involved in the foster care system. Click here to download a list of foster closets around the state of Wisconsin that are open for families to use and that accept donations from community members.
Wisconsin Foster Family Handbook
The Wisconsin Foster Family Handbook is a comprehensive guide that provides essential information about foster care in Wisconsin. It is written specifically for new foster families but can also serve as a good source of information for experienced foster parents, as well.
In the Handbook, you will find:
- An overview of the foster care program
- Information about your role and the expectations of foster parents
- A discussion about the care of children in foster care
- Information about the critical nature of working with birth families
- Information about the crucial importance of self-care as a foster family
- Tools and resource lists about a variety of specific topics
Find Hope & Inspiration
The No Matter What Families YouTube channel is created and maintained by the Coalition for Children, Youth & Families. It is designed to encourage families to seek help and support when they feel hopeless and alone. The YouTube channel features video stories from real people, ultimately providing inspiration to help struggling families make connections that will help build their strength and resilience.
