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Foster children need a family's loving care
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Published: September 18, 2009
Do you know what the following people have in common?
1. Ted Danson, actor
2. Andrew Jackson, U.S. president
3. Stonewall Jackson, Confederate Army general
4. James MacArthur, actor
5. Steve McQueen, actor
6. Willie Nelson, singer
7. Edgar Allen Poe, poet
They were all adopted children; some of them spent years in foster care.
Barium Springs Home for Children has a large number of youngsters of all ages who need the care that only a loving family can give. They have too many children that need help and too few qualified foster parents to meet that need.
The Iredell County Department of Social Services is also facing a sudden and dramatic surge in the number of children who need help.
The kids who have needs come from a variety of family situations. Some children have suddenly lost their parents, some are in homes where sufficient care isn't or cannot be given. Some households have suffered greatly due to the current economic situation.
At times, the basic requirements of food, shelter and medical care no longer exists. Too many children come from broken homes, where physical violence is the norm. Whatever the causes are, the bottom line is that far too many kids in our immediate area are hurting.
In order to become licensed and qualified foster care givers, a few fundamental requirements must be met. You must have the love and desire to lend a helping hand to a kid with needs, and the prospective foster parents must have a background criminal check and be fingerprinted.
Additionally, you must have sufficient room in your home to house a child. You don't have to wealthy, just have a moderate income. There are funds available to assist the fostering family in supplying the child's needs.
Your home must meet some specifics, which includes a visit from the fire marshal to ensure the structure meets standards. A visit or two from a social worker is needed to go over all of the necessary paperwork and take a visual tour of your home.
You do not have to live in a mansion to qualify; an average, clean home with lots of time and love is more important.
A mandatory 30-hour course, which covers a lot of basic information in child rearing that most parents already have, is required. Specific information is provided concerning various individual problems that some of the kids may have and how the parents should and can cope.
The course includes some one-on-one role playing in which adults assume the role of the child to allow the parents to see how it feels to lose some of life's basic needs. I don't care how many children you have raised, you will learn something new. This I guarantee.
The course is not hard and is quite interesting as well as challenging. At times it is downright fun. You get the chance to meet other couples or single parents who share your goal of helping a kid. Some of these folks will become lifelong friends and may very well assist you with your future foster care questions.
Call the Department of Social Services, or Barium Springs Home for Children to learn how to help.
Is there anything that I can say to persuade you to make that call? One simple call can make a big difference, not only in a child's life, but yours.
'Till next time, ya'll take care.
Ron Bell is a community columnist for the R&L.
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