Ann Jenkins, left, answers questions from Haley Walters during Saturday’s Fostering the Future with The Allen County Children Services at the Vibe Coffeehouse & Cafe.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
LIMA — Right now in Allen County children are waiting for a safe and happy home.
The top two reasons they are in need are parental domestic violence and drug abuse.
The system is full. There are 39 children placed in 18 foster homes.
That’s why Children Services hosted ‘Fostering the Future: Your Road to Foster Parenting Starts Here,’ an informational session for anyone who has ever considered becoming a foster parent.
“Currently, our need is great for foster parents. We have a good set of foster parents, but a lot of our homes are full. We need to increase the number of homes that are available, especially for teens and siblings,” said Ann Jenkins, special services supervisor for Allen County Children Services.
The event was held on Saturday at the Vibe Coffeehouse & Café, where the agency’s foster parent recruitment team and foster parents were available to answer questions in a casual and relaxed atmosphere.
Prospective foster parents learned that the agency’s goal is to find family members, if possible, who will care for the children.
“Foster care is the last option,” said Jenkins. But when only that option remains, it is paramount to keep the children in the same communities and, ideally, the same school districts with which they are already familiar.
What does it take to become a foster parent?
Just about any adult can easily apply. Single, married, same-sex couples and any race of applicants are eligible to foster a child. People who live in apartments, condos, townhouses, or stand-alone homes are eligible, as long as there is at least one room available. The room may be shared with another child. For infants, there must be room for a crib.
There is not a minimum income requirement, but the agency requires an income sufficient to provide for the foster child prior to receiving any supplementary income from the agency. This is, in part, because some items, like diapers or baby formula, are not covered by the agency’s foster care program.
The first step is completing an application. Applications and applicants are then screened by the agency. It is a qualification process that can take up to six months.
During this period, the agency collects additional information, such as financial details showing that the applicant can financially afford to care for a child. Then there is a fire and safety inspection of the home. There is then a detailed home-assessment process to ensure the individual is well-suited to fostering a child. This is followed by completion of a 36-hour training program leading to initial licensure.
“What we want is a family that is going to be dedicated, structured, open and have a lot of patience. We have a lot of kids who are dealing with trauma. We need families who are going to be open to working with them and working with the agency on helping them get through that so that they can either go home or go with a family member,” said Jenkins. Some may require counseling or medications.
To better match children and foster parents, one of the documents filled out is the “Child Characteristic Checklist,” with a variety of characteristics about the types of kids foster parents would or would not like to accept, including health, emotional and behavioral conditions.
Once the individual qualifies to be a foster parent and is licensed, they will receive monthly visits by a case worker. Individuals must also maintain their licensure. The agency offers six hours of in-person continuing education classes on Saturdays that are offered once a month, with the exception of July. The total completed must equal 30 hours within a two-year certification period.
Children in “the system” are categorized as either eligible to “foster,” “foster-to-adopt” or “adoption-only.”
Marge Rowe, who was employed at Lima Christian Academy, has been a foster mom for about 15 years. She adopted five of the roughly 30 children she fostered.
Rowe had her own children, but when she became an “empty-nester,” she said she missed caring for kids and doing things with them. Additionally, she had gone through a divorce, leaving her large home empty other than herself. At that point, she made the decision to foster and then adopt—and she continues to foster even today.
“Right now in my home I have a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old,” Rowe said.
She enjoys working with the kids to teach them life skills that will help them to successfully transition into adulthood, like how to do their own laundry and each cook one meal a week, following a recipe.
“The 10-year-old baked a chocolate cake last week,” she said, smiling proudly.
According to Rowe, the licensure classes were practical. A lot of it was common sense and learning the agency’s rules — how many kids are allowed in a home, what age groups can be roomed together — as well as first aid.
Her advice to prospective foster parents: “Give it a try!”
For more information, or to obtain an application, visit allencsb.com or call 419-227-8590.
