At home in Durham | Reesenews

What is foster care?

Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for abused, neglected and dependent children who need a safe place to live while their parents can't take care of them.

What children are most in need of a foster home?

Those ages 8 and up.?As of last Friday, there were 170 total children in DSS care.

How long do most children spend in foster care?

The average foster child spends about 18-24 months in a foster home.

How many foster homes does Durham have?

Durham has 73 liscensed foster care homes, of which 48 might have vacancies.

When are the upcoming meetings?

October 10th?and November ?14th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at East Regional Library.

In the children?s room of East Regional Library in Durham on Monday night, 20 people gathered to learn about parenting, one of the hardest jobs in?existence.

But the parents learned the hardest job can get harder ??they were gathered to learn about foster parenting.

The meeting served as the first of three foster parent recruitment meetings hosted by the Durham County Department of Social Services.

As of last Friday, Social Services had 170 foster children in its care who still need homes. ?The county of Durham has 73 foster homes within its borders, but only 48 of those hoome have room for more children.

Montina Swift, a designated Family to Family Coordinator,?said at the meeting, ?If you have enough room in your house and enough love in your heart, we?re asking you to take in a Durham foster child.?

Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for abused, neglected, and dependent children who need a safe place to live when their parents or other relatives can?t take care of them.? Their families are often dealing with issues such as illness, homelessness, or alcohol and drug addiction.

At the recruitment meeting, Swift talks with prospective foster parents about the realities of taking care of foster children.

?Don?t expect them to be overwhelmingly appreciative to you,? Swift said, ?Kids don?t care if you live in a mansion or a shack, they just want to go home.?

Swift says that for the majority of foster children, what?s dysfunctional has become functional for them.? Learning to take care of these children takes training.

To become a licensed foster parent, the state requires 30 hours of training, a criminal history check, stable income, a decent home, physical exam, and more.? The process can take up to six months.? The license is valid for two years, and then must be renewed.

One woman who attended the meeting, Sabrina Satterwhite, began the licensing process with her husband two years ago before opting out.

?We weren?t equipped,? Satterwhite said, ?The house, and space just wasn?t ready.?

Satterwhite has two biological children, but says she always wanted more.? She says attending the recruitment meeting helps her decide whether she is now prepared to become a foster parent.

?I had some reservations when learning about the baggage that the children bring,? Satterwhite said, ?But they are just children, and you just have to take them in and love them.?

Swift said that two of the biggest issues foster children are dealing with are emotional damage and separation anxiety.? Although Social Services? first priority is to reunite foster children with their biological families, the average child stays in foster care from 18 months to two years.? Because children don?t know how long they will be in a particular home, Swift says they feel insecure.

Dorothy Johnson, a current foster parent, agrees.

?A child can stay in your home for 12 years,? Johnson said, ?but until you adopt them, they never feel at home.?

Johnson has been a licensed foster parent for 38 years.? She has four foster children in her home now, three of whom she is adopting.? Foster parents can adopt when a judge decides to terminate the biological parent?s parental rights.? Swift says 68 percent of foster parents adopt.

Whether a foster parent adopts or not, Johnson says that you must treat foster children as if you birthed them.

?From the day they come into my house, they are my children,? Johnson said.

Johnson says that in her experience, the hardest part of being a foster parent is a struggle that almost all parents face: letting go.? She says that they become a part of your family.

Johnson says to new foster parents, ?If you can stick it out, you will have the biggest joy of your life.?

This article was reported as a part of the JOMC 253 Reporting course at UNC?s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Source: http://reesenews.org/2011/09/24/at-home-in-durham/20900/

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