Hawaiʻi kids in foster care need your help
Iwalani Photography
How would you like to get involved?
Foster
Make a difference by opening your heart and home to a child facing a difficult time.
“To me, having that one foster parent to support me through my good and bad times really means a lot.”
The HI HOPES Team works closely with Child Welfare Services by sharing their lived experience through developing policies, laws, practice, and trainings to improve the foster care system.
Our Keiki, Our Kuleana - Weaving Ohana Together
About us
RCG.hawaii.gov is a website of the State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Services that helps streamline how we recruit and license resource caregivers (also known as foster parents).
WHAT WE DO
The Child Welfare Services (CWS) Branch is committed to working collaboratively with families and communities to help keep children safe. Partnering with you and your family is CWS’ priority.
Child Welfare Services are services provided by the Department of Human Services (DHS), Social Services Division (SSD), Child Welfare Services Branch to children and their families when the children are reported to have been abused and/or neglected or are reported to be at risk for abuse and/or neglect. These services include child protection, prevention, and diversion services to keep children out of foster care. Child Welfare Services also include family support, foster care, adoption, legal guardianship, independent living, adoption assistance and guardianship payments, and licensing of resource caregivers, group homes, and child placing organizations.
The mission of the Child Welfare Services Branch is to ensure the safety, permanency, and wellbeing of children in their own homes first or, when necessary, in out-of-home placements. When a child cannot be safely returned to the family within a reasonable time frame, CWS will proceed with establishing a permanent placement for the child through adoption, legal guardianship, or another long-term substitute care. The Child Welfare Services Branch has offices on the islands of Oahu, Hawaiʻi, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
As part of the licensing process, Child Welfare Services will conduct a comprehensive background check on all applicants to include: criminal histories, state and national sex offender registries, child abuse and neglect registries and requires FBI fingerprinting checks on all adult household members.
