The Forgotten Initiative

We help churches support foster care caseworkers through awareness, encouragement, and advocacy.

Foster care caseworkers serve on the front lines of one of the most emotionally demanding systems in our country—caring for vulnerable children and families in crisis. Yet many feel misunderstood, under-supported, and overlooked.

Burdened by high caseloads, administrative demands, and ongoing exposure to trauma, caseworkers are leaving their positions after an average of only 2–3 years. Nationally, child welfare agencies lose an estimated 20–40% of their workforce each year as many caseworkers leave due to burnout, secondary trauma, and overwhelming workloads.

This has devastating implications for children and families. When caseworkers remain in their roles but are emotionally depleted, the quality and consistency of care suffer. When they leave entirely, instability increases across the foster care system—impacting children, biological families, foster families, and agencies alike.

Caseworkers are not peripheral to the system; they are a critical but often forgotten group of people at the heart of the foster care system. They need meaningful support as they carry the emotional weight of this work.

At the same time, many local churches genuinely want to engage in foster care ministry but do not know where the real needs are or how to engage in ways that build trusted and sustainable relationships.

Many churchgoers say foster care matters. Far fewer know how to help.

TFI stands at the intersection of these realities—equipping churches to become a consistent source of encouragement and support within a strained system.

Founded in 2011, The Forgotten Initiative is a national Christ-centered nonprofit equipping churches to support foster care caseworkers through community-based ministry. TFI currently operates through a growing network of 62 volunteer Advocates serving across 27 states.