Join Our Circle of Support
As a member of the Circle of Support, you’re keeping children safe and families together.
Be a Family Friend
Be a Family Coach
Be a Resource Friend
Be a Prayer Partner
Be a Church Partner
Change a Family’s Life
When parents don’t have a support system to provide childcare during an emergency surgery or pick kids up from school when work goes long, they can lose custody of their children. If children enter the foster-care system, there’s a high chance they’ll never be reunited with their parents—a trauma with lifelong consequences.
Your role is simple but life-changing: Be a friend to a parent in crisis. Because of volunteers like you, children in Austin can avoid unnecessarily entering foster care and remain with parents who love them.
Our Movement Model and Circle of Support
No one should have to parent alone.
Volunteer-Led
The Circle of Support surrounds families in need with four levels of care: Family Hosts, Family Friends, Family Coaches, and Resource Friends. Together, these volunteers provide ongoing, wrap-around support to ensure parents aren’t navigating challenges alone.
Community-Centric
Our Community Resource Hubs direct volunteers to meet real-time needs in their neighborhoods, so you can invest in your immediate community.
Faith-Driven
We welcome volunteers and families of all faith backgrounds. Our Christian faith inspires us to practice radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion. 1 John 3:16 guides our desire to love our neighbors sacrificially: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Be a Host Family
Requires Volunteer Training
As a host family, you provide temporary childcare for young children while their parents face a crisis—ranging from a few hours of babysitting to several weeks of hosting.
Thanks to host families, parents can focus on medical procedures, job training, or finding safe housing without worrying about losing custody of their children. While volunteers are welcome to build friendships with the parents, this role’s primary responsibility is caring for children.
Be a Family Friend
Requires Volunteer Training
Family Friends provide needed support and friendship to parents.
Parenting in isolation is challenging, especially for single parents. As a Family Friend, you have the opportunity to help parents feel less alone by offering them a listening ear and someone to do life with. From park hangs to getting coffee or celebrating a birthday together, your friendship can be life changing.
As a family friend, you will:
Stay in touch weekly
Keep in touch with your family through texting, talking on the phone, or meeting in person.
Meet in person at least once a month
At least once a month, plan a time to meet in person for face-to-face interaction.
Advocate for your family.
Share your family’s needs with their Family Coach to make sure they’re getting the resources and support they need.
Be a Family Coach
Requires Volunteer Training
Family Coaches are the team lead for their family—serving as a liaison between families, Family Hosts, Family Friends, and our social workers.
As a Family Coach, you’ll meet with your family once a month and check in with the Circle of Support every two weeks. With the support of our Safe Families staff, you’ll help families set goals and find resources. Successful volunteers come from all backgrounds, but they often have experience in social work, counseling, or an adjacent field.
Be a Resource Friend
As a Resource Friend, you accept neighborhood requests for tangible goods or services.
Through Slack, you’ll be able to see requests in real time—like coats during a cold front—and respond if you’re able. Becoming a Resource Friend is a low-commitment, high-impact way to support families in your community.
Professional Services
- Hair Salons/Barber
- Physicians
- Dentists
- Mental Health Professionals
- Mechanics
- Home Repair/Painting
- Cleaning
- Tutoring
- Daycare Providers
- Financial Services
Donations & Resources
- Diapers
- Formula
- Clothes
- Car Seats
- Toys and Books
- Gift Cards
- Gas Cards
Be a Prayer Partner
If you have a heart for families in Austin, prayer is one of the most significant ways you could volunteer your time. As a faith-driven organization, we believe in the power of prayer and the value of seeking God on behalf of our neighbors.
Join us every other Friday at 8 A.M. on Google Meet for a time of connection and prayer. Come as you are—from the carpool line, with curlers in your hair, on the way to work, or with your pajamas still on.
Upcoming Volunteer Trainings
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Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
Have questions about how to get involved? Contact us to learn more about volunteering.