How Lily Pad Helps Children in Foster Care

Trauma-Informed Spaces

We give kids in foster care room to grieve, to heal, and to be loved.

Who We Are

Rooted in faith and compassion, Lily Pad partners with DSS teams, volunteers, churches, and community organizations to create trauma-informed spaces for children experiencing foster care.

Every child deserves more than a cold, sterile office during moments of crisis. Through thoughtfully designed environments inside DSS / DHHS offices, we help create spaces where children feel safe, comforted, and cared for because no child should spend their worst day in a cubicle.

See Our Rooms
Where We Serve

The Reality Too Many Children Face

Across the United States, more than 391,000 children and youth are experiencing foster care. In South Carolina, nearly 3,900 children navigate this system, many without a safe or comforting place to wait between homes.

Because of placement shortages and limited resources, some children spend hours, and sometimes overnight, inside county DSS offices while waiting for placement or support services.

Though caseworkers do everything they can to help, these environments were never designed to support children navigating trauma, fear, and uncertainty.

That’s why Lily Pad creates trauma-informed spaces where children can rest, play, and feel safe during difficult transitions.

How We Help

We transform DSS offices and law enforcement spaces into trauma-informed environments where children, victims, and families can feel safe, supported, and cared for during difficult moments.

Through trauma-informed design, calming sensory elements, soft lighting, and thoughtful details, our spaces help create calmer, more welcoming environments for both those being served and the professionals with them.

As a Christian nonprofit ministry, we believe every person is made in the image of God and worthy of dignity, compassion, and care. Through partnerships with donors, churches, volunteers, and community organizations, Lily Pad creates spaces designed to bring comfort and emotional safety.

Learn About Our Room Design

Our Rooms

  • Safe

    Spaces that calm, protect, and provide a sense of security in hard moments.

  • Comfortable

    Soft seating, warm lights, and soothing textures that invite rest.

  • Familiar

    Recognizable, welcoming designs that help children feel at ease.

Who We Serve

  • Children & Youth in Foster Care

    We create comforting spaces that remind every child they matter.

  • State DSS Teams

    We support case managers with calm, trauma-informed environments.

  • Foster Families & Advocates

    We ease transitions and uphold every child's dignity and worth.

  • Communities & Volunteers

    We equip local communities to create visible, lasting change.

  • Donors & Partners

    Your generosity brings comfort and dignity to every child we serve.

How You Can Help

Fund a
Transformation

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Help Build Spaces
That Heal

Volunteer

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Office or Agency

Partner with Us

“I wish I had a Lily Pad space where I could comfort my younger siblings and distract them from the trauma we were experiencing. Now that I have a safe family, I am working with Lily Pad to make positive changes for kids in foster care.”

— Ashlyn, 16

Read Ashlyn's Story Here

“I had been in foster care since the age of three. I survived neglect in my biological family and abuse in my adoptive family.

I slept on a chair in my case manager’s cubicle.

I said, “goodbye” to my siblings in a conference room inside of a Department of Social Services office the day we were separated into different foster homes. “