When Home Disappears Through a Car Window
Where are we going?
Why can’t I stay?
Will I see my mom again?
Did I do something wrong?
For a child being removed from their home, these may be the questions they cannot find the words to ask.
Adults are talking about safety, placement, and what happens next. The child is looking back, searching for a familiar face.
Even when leaving home is necessary for protection, the separation can be frightening. A child can need safety and still desperately want their parent. They can miss their bedroom, their pet, their siblings, or the person who knows how they like their sandwich cut.
They do not have to understand why this is happening to feel the loss.
We get it. A safer place does not automatically feel like home.
In that moment, a child needs someone who slows down. Someone who speaks gently and explains what they can, in words the child understands.
“You didn’t cause this.”
“You can ask questions.”
“It’s okay to miss your family.”
They need adults who listen without expecting them to stop crying, feel grateful, or settle into a new place right away. They need honest answers and reassurance without promises no one can make.
They also need the everyday things that are suddenly missing: clothes that fit, pajamas, a toothbrush, something familiar to hold. A way to carry their belongings with dignity.
We get it. When everything feels unfamiliar, having something of your own matters.
At Speak Up for Kids of Palm Beach County, “We get it” is a commitment to listen, recognize the need, and help.
Our mission is to mitigate trauma and cultivate the self-worth of children living in foster care through advocacy, direct support, and community engagement.
Through Embrace Kids, we help meet needs ranging from clothing and essentials to therapy, tutoring, transportation, and enrichment. Behind every request is a child trying to adjust, keep up, find comfort, or feel included.
As the days and months pass, children also need room for joy.
Through Gift-A-Birthday™, a birthday is remembered with gifts chosen for that child, a cake, and the message that their life is worth celebrating. Through Music Buddies, children have opportunities to learn, express themselves, and discover something they enjoy.
We get it. Children in foster care need opportunities to be kids—to laugh, belong, try something new, and feel proud of themselves.
Support for caregivers helps the adults around a child respond with greater understanding. And as young people grow, our Life Skills Portal and Foster Youth Resource Concierge help them work toward their own goals, with support that can continue beyond age 18.
Because a child’s needs do not end when the car ride does.
You can help shape what happens next
You may never meet the child whose clothes you help provide. You may never hear the first song they learn or see their face when a birthday gift arrives.
But your support can reach them in those moments.
It can put therapy within reach. Help a child join an activity with classmates. Make sure a birthday is remembered. Help a young person take their next step with someone beside them.
We cannot erase what a child has experienced. We can listen to what they need and keep showing up.
We get it. And with your help, we do something about it.
