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Quality Foster Homes Needed for Teens and Sibling Groups
OKLAHOMA CAPITOL --- On any given day there are more than 6,200 children in foster care in Oklahoma. That’s a 12 percent increase from last year and a 33 percent increase from just five years ago.
To help raise awareness of these ever increasing numbers, Gov. Brad Henry has proclaimed May 2003 as Foster Care Month. The Oklahoma Department of Human Service Foster Care program asks all Oklahomans to not just consider fostering a child, but to get involved in breaking the cycle of abuse that leads to foster care by volunteering as a child advocate, a mentor or a counselor.
“The fact that we have 500 more children in foster care now than we had at this time last year is difficult enough,” said Margaret Linnemann, OKDHS Foster Care programs manager. “But the severity of what is happening to these children is getting worse. The level of abuse and neglect we’re seeing is more severe. And then there’s the growing problem of drugs, particularly Methamphetamines in homes with children.”
Almost half of the children in foster care are older than age 10; this poses a challenge for most foster parents. “Being a teen is hard enough, but being a teen in foster care is even more difficult,” said Linnemann. “I’m sure anyone who’s had a teen or can remember being a teen can relate. These kids have all the same issues that any teen would have, only compounded by an unstable home life.”
Further, nearly a quarter of the children in foster care are part of a sibling group, and this fact poses a challenge to foster care specialists, said Linnemann. “It’s difficult finding homes with enough room for brothers and sisters. We try not to place siblings in different homes, but because of the lack of foster homes, many times that’s our only option.
We then have to spend extra time arranging for visits and trying to pull them back together. But mostly it’s hard on the children. They already have grief and loss from being removed from their home, no matter how bad it was. Their siblings are their only real family connection.”
To become a foster parent you must be at least 21 years old and financially stable. You do not have to own your own home and you can be married or single.
There can be a maximum of five foster children in the home and six children total. When you become a foster parent, you will receive a monthly reimbursement from the State to help meet the needs of the foster child. Liability insurance, medical, dental and mental health benefits will also be provided to the foster child. Childcare assistance is available for foster parents who work 20 hours or more a week.
“We need people who are committed, who like children and who want to be there for them,” said Linnemann. “These children have parents that we hope to reunite them with, so their placement in foster care is fully intended to be temporary.
These children have challenges; they’ve been exposed to drugs, abuse and neglect. We need caring people to work with these children, give them a sense of values, self-esteem and let them know they are loved and accepted for who they are. Being a foster parent isn’t easy, but the rewards and satisfaction are worth it.”
To report suspected child abuse or neglect, call 1-800-522-3511, or contact your local OKDHS human services center.
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