Number of children in South Carolina’s foster care system has dropped but homes still urgently needed

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD)- Becoming a foster parent was never part of Cindy Bogan-Baber’s plan.

She and her husband had considered fostering over the years but as an active-duty military family, the timing never felt right — until about 15 years ago.

“In 2010, my youngest biological child started K-4 and she jumped out of the car and ran in, didn’t want me to walk her in, and I was devastated… I called my husband and I’m like ‘I’m not through parenting, I’m just not through,'” she said.

“At this point with all my kids out at school, we decided to pursue it and that’s what we did,” she continued.

The Bogan-Babers have four biological children and have fostered close to 60 kids over the years. They’ve even legally adopted six of them.

“It comes and goes,” she said, adding that the family mostly does respite care and emergency placements. “We started out only doing infants (newborns) and then we progressed up as my children got older and the past few years we’ve done teenagers. But, we’re open.”

While some of these children have become permanent members of the family, Bogan-Baber said the ultimate goal is reunification.

“When we’re able to send a child home, that’s awesome,” she said.

There are roughly 3,300 children and youth currently in South Carolina’s foster care system, according to data from the Department of Social Services (DSS), the lowest point in about five years.

Richland County has the highest number of children in foster care at 503, followed by Greenville with 395 and Charleston with 217.

Despite a relative low, there is still a great need for foster parents, said DSS’ Chief External Affairs Officer Connelly-Anne Ragley. That is especially true for teenagers who account for about one-third of the state’s foster care population.

“Our greatest need at the agency continues to be foster parents that are willing to take teenagers,” Ragley said. “There’s a big need for teenagers to have that stable adult in their life as a foster parent, someone who is willing to stand in the gap and care for them as they begin that transition into adulthood and get ready for the next phase of their life.”

She added that the agency also needs caregivers willing to take in sibling groups and medically fragile children.

But, bringing another person into a home is not easy — and can come with a hefty price tag.

“You don’t ever feel like you have enough to do what you want to do for these kids,” Cindy acknowledged, noting that new foster parents often feel the biggest financial strain.

That’s where the state steps in, offering reimbursements — based on age — to foster families each month.

“We know that raising children is expensive, whether they’re in foster care, or whether they’re your own biological children, and we know inflation is up and making ends meet is getting tougher and tougher,” Ragley said.

DSS requests an increase to these board rates annually, and lawmakers approved another rate increase as part of the state’s $13 billion budget.

The rates – effective July 1 – are now $670 per month for children under 6, $783 per month for ages 6-12, and $827 per month for ages 13 and older.

That money can be used at the parents’ discretion, Ragley said, for anything from clothing to food to housing and extracurricular activities.

“It’s going to help out a bunch,” Bogan-Baber said. “That’s an amazing increase that they got to be able to pay for teenage things. Their clothes are more expensive, their shoes are ridiculous, and the activities that they want to be involved in all cost money, and to have the significant increase is going to make having teens in your home a lot easier.”

That isn’t the only help available to foster parents, though.

“DSS is not alone in this work,” Ragley said. “We have so many partners in the community, whether it’s law enforcement, the education system and school system, as well as health care providers and other community supports.”

One of those community partners is the Berkeley County Foster Parent Association, a support group for foster families in the area that helps connect them with available resources.

“You’re not alone,” Bogan-Baber, who currently serves as the president of BCFPA, said. “You’re not unsupported.

She pointed to several church groups and nonprofit organizations — Lowcountry Orphan Relief, Journey Church, Seacoast Church, Freedom Church, MUSC’s foster care clinic, and more — where foster parents can find help.

And while the foster care journey isn’t simple — or cheap — Bogan-Baber knows firsthand how rewarding it can be.

“The need is so great, but it is not a walk in the park and your heart has to be in it,” she said. “Your heart has to recognize that there’s going to be struggles, there’s going to be difficulties…but man, the triumphs are so amazing.”

Anyone interested in becoming a foster parent in South Carolina can visit heartfeltcalling.org to learn more about the process.

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