In Arkansas, progress continues within the foster care system, but the work is far from done. According to a 2024 report from the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Children and Family Services – 3,553 children were in the system during the state fiscal year. This marks a 12 percent decrease from the previous year and can be considered positive momentum toward securing permanent families for these vulnerable children.
The good news continues. More children exited the foster care system than entered it last year. Of those, 42 percent were reunified with families, 30 percent were adopted, and 9 percent were placed with relatives. In total, 92 percent achieved permanency, whether through reunification, adoption or other stable arrangements. Still, challenges persist. The goal – to have one licensed foster home bed available per child in care – is one that the state still works diligently to achieve. Currently, there are fewer beds than children who need them. This is when ambassadors, like Dawn Scott and her son Jackson Jones, insist every person can contribute and make a difference. Whether it’s as a foster family with The CALL or building hope + connections with Project Zero – there’s ample opportunity to engage.
Dawn was introduced to the Department of Human Services and foster children through her work at KTHV Channel 11. As a renowned news anchor + community leader, she realized these children awaiting adoption needed a platform; the feature A Place to Call Home was created. “There was no awareness at that time,” she recalls. “The children needed to be seen. They deserve to be seen, and they deserve to have a voice.” After retiring from television in 2020, Dawn continues this pursuit as a volunteer with Project Zero, a remarkable organization that shares the stories of children in foster care to help find permanent homes. She emphasizes that while the need for adoptive families has decreased, support for foster youth remains critically important. “Children need other children. They need to know they are seen, heard and those around them care about them.”
That ethos is what led Jackson to create Fostering Friendships. As a sophomore in high school, he established this organization that builds peer-to-peer relationships with foster and at-risk children in Central Arkansas through simple but meaningful activities – sports, board games, school supply drives and more. “Our goal is just to build friendships,” explains Jackson, who is now a senior at Little Rock Central High School. “I believe everybody needs a friend.” Jackson learned from programs like The Centers, where children recovering from trauma – including victims of abuse and human trafficking – receive residential care. “It’s really transformed my life. I feel happier. I’m so grateful for what this has given to me.”
This family insists that everyone can help. Fostering Friendships welcomes donations of board games, basketballs, footballs, kickballs, playing cards and other items that create a sense of fun and belonging. These seemingly small contributions can make a world of difference to a child who feels left out or forgotten. Through advocacy, friendship and community support, Arkansas is working to ensure that every child in foster care has a sense of belonging.