Mentoring Youth in Foster Care

"Expanding horizons through the power of one-to-one friendships."

Addressing the Need
In 2005, several public, private, and non-profit agencies came together to support the needs of youth in foster care. Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA), Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department, Washington State Mentoring Partnership, three private foundations and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington - launched a program to provide one-to-one mentoring and guidance for foster care youth..

Who’s Being Served?
Participants are children ages 6 – 18. The youth must be currently in foster placement and be referred through their social worker. Upon referral, each youth is interviewed and then professionally matched with a thoroughly screened and trained volunteer mentor.

Being A Mentor
The Mentoring Youth in Foster Care program utilizes the BBBS community-based mentoring model. This model focuses on building a one-to-one relationship between a youth and an adult. Once a match is made, the mentor and child spend time together in the community, once a week, for at least one year.

Mentoring Works
BBBS is a research-based, best-practice-prevention-program that has been proven to reduce use of drugs and alcohol, reduce juvenile crime, and increase school completion. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention named BBBS a best-practice program for reduction in juvenile delinquency.