by Madison Naves | WeINSPIRE Journalist 

BIRMINGHAM, AL. -- Warmth and welcome are the first things Brittany Burcham gives to children that enter her home. A bright room lit by the charm of the southern sky becomes a room to call their own. Goodies sprinkled within a welcoming basket settle on a soft bed as Burcham guides another foster teen through her hospitable home. 

As an emergency and respite foster parent since 2019, Burcham has fostered over 40 children. Her central intake is teenage foster kids, who affectionately call her Miss. Brittany.

Burcham’s road to becoming a foster parent started as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA). This experience allowed her to see firsthand the challenges older children faced within the foster care system (FCS). Burcham wanted to make a positive impact on these children. She felt the best way she could do so was by becoming a foster parent herself.

“I think the dream of fostering older kids is beautiful because you get to really invest in someone who will be an adult very soon,” said Burcham. 

While the challenges and circumstances that can cause a child to enter the (FCS) vary, it can be tough to navigate for older kids and teenagers within it. This is primarily because of trauma, stigma, and fear of aging out. Aging out of the (FCS) happens to children between the ages of 18 to 24 in some states. According to The National Conference of State Legislatures, one in five youth that age out at 18, become homeless. Only 58% will have graduated high school. Without ongoing advocacy, teens can lose the needed counseling and stability required for emotional, educational, and mental trauma support.

“Foster care is hard and heartbreaking for kids that are in it,” said Burcham. “They’re never gonna forget the day that they were taken away from their family.”

She makes it a point to help ease the transition into her care by remembering not to judge children based on appearances and documents. She instead embraces his kid’s characters, welcoming them into her home with gifts and sympathy. She shares her practices to 672k followers through her social media platform, foster the teens. She hopes to teach others how they, too, can become loving foster parents and advocates for teens. Burcham says that most teens need an adult figure in their lives that they can depend on. When adults encourage foster teens, this can help them succeed within society and overcome trauma even after aging out. She describes these victories as “beauty from ashes.”

“I always say that these kids are like phoenixes,” said Burcham. “ I think about what they’re capable of despite everything being against them.”

The resilience Burcham sees in her teens is what she says makes her proud to be a foster parent. She still remembers each of her foster children and is happy to witness many firsts for them, like jobs, marriage, and educational triumphs. Burcham’s advice to anyone considering becoming a foster parent is to look beyond papers and stigmas. She urges them to remember that foster care thrives on relationships not only with children, but with their parents as well.

“At the end of the day, these are people that deserve love and respect,“ Burcham said. “Do you want a child to succeed? They need an anchor, somebody in their life to cheer them on.” 

To learn more about the process of becoming a foster parent in your state or area, please visit https://nfpaonline.org/foster. To get a first-hand account of what it is like to be a foster parent, consider following https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdA7VAJM/.