How to "Be An Anchor"

The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is partnering with community leaders and organizations who can BE AN ANCHOR for children and families involved in Rhode Island’s child welfare system.

Community support is critical to preventing child abuse and neglect, keeping children safely at home, and connecting children and families to services when they need help.

The Department is already collaborating with private foster care agencies and nonprofit organizations. 

DCYF would like to invest in expanding this network to include the community of the towns and cities where our families and children live.

We know their neighbors, teachers, faith leaders and others who interact regularly with families involved in the child welfare system have the best chance to make a profound impact on their lives.

1. Become A Foster Parent

   Fill out the BINTI application at the link below:

   BINTI Application

2. Help Us Recruit More Foster Families

   • If you want to help, but you are not ready to become a foster parent can you:
     • ✓ Host an information session or a provider fair in your community to help others learn about becoming a foster parent?
     • ✓ Mentor a foster child or volunteer at a group home?
     • ✓ Sponsor a foster child’s participation in afterschool programs, sports, theater or other enrichment activities?

3. Support foster families in your community

   • Help with chores around their home (mow their lawn, for example) or provide a meal
   • Offer to provide a night out for the family (like tickets to a movie) or offer to babysit so foster parents can have some time for themselves
   • Sponsor a training for foster parents to help them learn how to best care for children involved with the child welfare system (you may provide the training yourself, if qualified OR support training by providing space and food)

4. Support families in your community who need help

   • Consider opening your home to a young parent and their baby who need a safe, stable environment
   • Consider sharing your home with a family while they search for affordable housing
   • Mentor teens and adults who need help finding work by helping draft a resume or connecting them to professional development opportunities (internships, for example)