Mobilizing Faith Communities to Strengthen Families and Reduce Foster Care

Care for Every Family is a collaboration of more than a dozen local organizations committed to supporting families and reducing foster care.

We envision Wichita as a model city where children and families thrive. Children are cared for by families empowered with tools and relationships that result in measurable improvements in well-being. Engaged community members walk alongside families in a friendly and loving environment.

We believe that promoting thriving children and preventing poor outcomes is best accomplished by families and communities* and the government’s role in child welfare should focus on child protection, and intervention should be limited to addressing safety issues.

*Community includes all aspects of civil society, from neighborhoods to families to religious organizations to voluntary associations and more. Most simply, it is where each of us lives. It is supposed to be where people come together to solve common problems, support each other during difficult times, and discover and develop their gifts and aptitudes in a friendly and loving environment.

Core Values

Fostering Hope Within Communities, Serving the Vulnerable

Faith communities believe in the dignity and inherent worth of every individual. They serve people in need and help them transform their lives. From supporting fragile families and the uninsured to promoting messages of peace during times of conflict, people of faith have led the way in addressing our toughest societal problems throughout history.

Supporting At-Risk Families and Changing Lives

Engage and equip churches to support at-risk families in their congregations and communities.
Connect families to critical resources and services through church and organizational partnerships.
Provide tangible support and relational connection to help stabilize families before problems escalate.
Recruit and support foster and adoptive families to care for children who cannot remain in their homes.
Change how our community thinks about family struggles—from a place of shame to an opportunity for the community to surround them with love and support.

The Birth of a Movement

May 2023

A diverse group of community leaders gathered to discuss the well-being of children and families in the Wichita community.

Kansas Department for Children and Families gathered a group at Kansas Leadership Center focused on safely reducing the need for foster care. A number of experiments emerged, including mobilizing the faith community.

August 2023

September 2023

Local pastors expressed a desire to engage in the foster care crisis but were overwhelmed by the number of requests from non-profits. They needed a simple path forward to effectively mobilize their congregations across the continuum of care.

Relaunch of Care Portal Technology to connect families in need with equipping partners across the continuum and local faith communities.

October 2023

January 2024

Care for Every Family working group formed to develop a comprehensive Care Kit to help faith leaders communicate the urgency of the situation and provide actionable steps for their congregations to make a difference.

Department for Children and Families in partnership with Kansas Health Foundation hosted a Data Walk facilitating an important community conversation related to factors impacting foster care.

April 2024

May 2024

Wichita Prayer Breakfast with Bishop Martin from Possum Trot, Texas launches the Care for Every Family campaign.

Our Mission