Foster children outnumber foster parents by more than 2 to 1

Foster children outnumber foster parents by more than 2 to 1
By CHRIS CLINE\Daily Journal Staff Writer

With approximately 230 children in foster care in the 24th Judicial
Circuit, which consists of St. Francois County, Madison County, Ste.
Genevieve County and Washington County, the need for foster parents in
the area is great.

"We only have 100 foster homes in the area right now," said Rhonda
Mash, a social worker with the Children's Division. "If anyone has the
slightest interest in becoming a foster parent they need to call
because we need them."

Mash said while it is difficult to take a child into your home, it is
very rewarding.

"We tell our foster parents that we want to make a commitment to a
child's lifetime instead of making a lifetime commitment to a child,"
Mash said. "We ask our foster parents to be part of the professional
team when dealing with the children. They attend court hearings,
meetings and school functions. They even sometimes assist in the
visitation with the biological family."

Millie Smith, President of the Foster Adoptive Parent Association,
said the attachment to the children is difficult.

"It's hard, you will get attached," Smith said. "You have to get
involved in the system and understand that this is temporary and that
you are involved in reunifying the family.

Lisa Williamson is a local Family Development Specialist who worked
for the Division of Family Services (DFS) before entering the private
sector of foster parenting. Williamson now contracts with DFS and is
involved in the recruiting and licensing of foster parents.

Williamson agrees that there is desperate need for foster parents in
the area.

"We are trying to get enough homes where we don't have to split
siblings up," Williamson said. "Right now, in some of the cases the
siblings are having to be split up because there are not enough
homes."

The requirements to be a foster parent are you must be at least 21
years of age, you can't have a violent criminal history, you can't
have a history of child abuse or neglect, you must have a stable home
environment and you must be financially stable.

Williamson said a lot of people think they are too old to become
foster parents, and that isn't the case.

"The only age requirement that we have is a foster parent must be at
least 21 years of age," Williamson said. "Another myth is single
people think that they must be married to become foster parents. This
isn't true. We have a lot of single people who are foster parents."

Prospective foster parents go through nine weeks of training that
covers a variety of issues they are likely to encounter. They learn
techniques to deal with behavioral problems a child may have because
of trauma. They also learn how to help children deal with emotional
issues.

"Most of the time the case plan is reunification with the biological
family," Williamson said. "Foster care can last as little as one day
or as long as several years. It depends on how the biological family
is cooperating with the court order."

In addition to the training, Smith said foster parents also have
support groups and monthly meetings.

"Personally, this takes a lot of time," Smith said. "When you're
working a full-time job and then taking care of children full-time it
can be difficult. It's important to stay grounded and stay with the
program because there is such a need for foster parents and it is very
rewarding."

Foster parents receive a monthly stipend ranging from $300-$350.
Daycare is covered 100 percent by DFS and Medicaid is provided as
health insurance for the children. In addition to the stipend, the
children also receive a clothing voucher.

"The stipend sometimes covers all of the expenses associated with a
child, and sometimes it doesn't," Williamson said. "That is why foster
parents really need to be financially stable."

A foster child, who is going under the fictitious name of Catherine,
has been in foster care for the past five years. Catherine, now
18-years-old, says the foster care system has some benefits for those
it serves.

"The system will pay for some of my college in addition to any grants
that I get," Catherine said. "It will help me get on my feet."

Catherine said that one of the hardest things about being a foster
child is running into confidentiality.

"I can't give my last name a lot of times," she said. "They (DFS)
won't let me for protection. Budget cuts are also difficult. The
amount of money that they give us in vouchers is a lot less now than
what it used to be."

Catherine said that social workers tried to work with her to return
her to her mother's home, but it didn't work.

"The social workers feel like they are responsible to reunite
families," Catherine said. "They really are not that good at reuniting
families, though. They actually work most kids toward independence if
their families are unstable. Usually, the kids are better off without
their families if they were taken out of their homes in the first
place. A lot of the kids are more mature because of what they have
gone through."

The month of May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month. For more
information about becoming a foster parent contact Lisa Williamson at
(573) 756-0128 or Rhonda Mash at (573) 431-6592.
http://www.mydjconnection.com/articl...nity/news1.txt

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