
Feature/General
All They Need Is Love
By Brigette Love, M.S.W
April/May 2005
May is National Foster Care Month,
a time to raise awareness of the need for more foster parents,
as well as honor the Foster Families and case managers who care
for the children living in foster care every day. There are over
14,000 children in foster care in Georgia who are trying to “survive” being
separated from their birth families and coping with the effects
of child maltreatment. Children who come into the state’s
custody and are placed in foster care do so as a result of many
factors, most often the result of abuse and neglect. The Foster
Care system in Georgia is administered by the Department of Human
Resources’ Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
This system is designed to provide a temporary home and safe haven
for children when their birth families are unable to care for them.
The goal of DFCS is to find permanency for these children whether
through reunification with their birth families (when the situation
at home is safe), a permanent placement with other birth relatives,
or adoption. Although reunifying parents and children is a goal,
many times reunification is not possible and the goal then becomes
finding safe, secure, and nurturing permanent families children
can call their own, where they can grow and lead a successful lives.
This goal is often difficult to achieve, considering the number
of approved foster and adoptive homes across the state.
How
does this effect you and your community?
In Clarke County there are approximately 148 children in state custody who
are in foster care. While all of these children are in some type of foster
care placement, there are only 53 regular Foster Homes in the county. Many
of these homes may be lost in the next year due to a child in foster care being
adopted by the Foster Parents. Due to the increasing number of children entering
the foster care system and the loss of approved homes, the need for approved
Foster Homes in Clarke County is quite substantial, as it is in most counties
throughout Georgia.
At any given time there are about 250 children in Georgia’s
foster care system that are waiting to be adopted. These children
are seeking a permanent home with a special family. A majority
of these children are African American, sibling groups, children
over the age of eight and/or children with physical, emotional
or mental disabilities. While completely free for adoption, many
of these children will wait months and sometimes years for an adoptive
resource to be found. The wait for a “forever family” is
agonizing for most children, and sometimes a family is never found.
As with Foster Homes, there is a great need for Adoptive families
in Clarke County and throughout the state.
Other
ways that families can help our children and resource families
include:
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- creating shoe box “care packages” for children
when they first come into care with items all children
need (i.e. toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hair brush,
a toy)
- inviting Clarke County DFCS to come speak with your
religious or civic organization about the need for Foster
and Adoptive families
- “adopting” a child in foster care for the
holidays and purchase items from his or her wish list to
make the holidays special
- donating new book bags and school supplies before school
starts in the fall
- donating gently used duffle bags – very often
when children have to move to a new placement or enter
care, they do not have anything to hold their belongings
- sponsoring a child to go to summer camp – help
our children have a fun and productive summer by helping
them go to camp
- placing and maintaining a “My Turn Now” book
of children free for adoption and/or allow us to place
recruitment materials for foster and adoptive parents in
your place of business
- donating products and/or services for prizes to be given
to our Foster and Adoptive parents at our next Foster and
Adoptive Parent Appreciation Banquet
- professionals could offer training to our Foster and
Adoptive families on a variety of topics (health, safety,
discipline, etc.) that could aid parents in helping the
children in foster care in their homes
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Who can become a Foster or Adoptive Parent?
You can be single or married, widowed, divorced, old or young, male or female,
and come from all financial and cultural backgrounds. You must be at least
25 if you are single, and you must be at least 10 years older than a child
placed for foster care or adoption. Background information including a drug
screen, physical, criminal records check, references and Child Protective
Services history will be gathered.
How do you become a Foster or Adoptive
Parent?
You must first attend a free orientation class for prospective Foster and Adoptive
Parents. Orientation classes in Clarke County are offered the 3rd Wednesday
of each month at the Clarke County DFCS office at 284 North Avenue in Athens,
but they are offered throughout the state on an ongoing basis as well. After
attending Orientation, you must attend a 20-hour training session called IMPACT.
Home visits by a case manager will also be conducted at this time. These classes
are offered throughout the year and state on an ongoing basis for prospective
foster and adoptive parents. Approved Foster Parents are also required to complete
10 hours of continued parent development training and re-evaluation each year.
Make a real and lasting difference by sharing your home, time,
energy, and love with a child, teenager, or sibling group in need
of a caring home. Fostering and Adopting are infinitely rewarding
experiences. Help a child win immunity from future trauma by becoming
a Foster or Adoptive Parent! For more information about foster
care or adoption, make a toll free call to 1-877-210-KIDS or call
your local Department of Family and Children Services. Other opportunities
to help children in foster care and Foster or Adoptive families
are also available.
Brigette Love is a Social Services Specialist with the
Clarke County Department of Family and Children Services
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