National Foster Care month is a great time to honor those in our community who serve as foster parents, but also to remember there is still a great need for kids to find homes in Northeast Ohio.
There are several agencies in the greater Cleveland/Akron area that specialize in helping people become foster or foster-to-adopt parents. The process is similar no matter which agency a family goes through; here, Summit County Children Services offers some insight into the need in our local community, as well as the steps taken to become a foster parent.
Every day, more and more children come to the attention of Summit County Children Services because of abuse and neglect concerns. After a thorough assessment process, agency social workers determine if a child will be safe by remaining in his/her home. Sometimes situations are such that the child will not be safe, and he/she has to be placed in the agency’s temporary custody. If no relative is available to care for the child, he/she is then placed with a foster family. It is critical that we have enough foster and foster-to-adopt families to temporarily and permanently care for children.
There is a multi-step process to become a licensed foster or foster-to-adopt parent. The length of time it takes to complete the process is 6-9 months. The process is outlined below.
Step 1: Make an inquiry. Contact Summit County Children Services by calling 330-379-1990; by visiting summitkids.org; or by mailing a request to 264 S. Arlington St., Akron, Ohio 44306. A complete information packet will be mailed to you.
Step 2: Attend an information meeting. Attendance at an information meeting is mandatory. Individuals interested in foster care and adoption are given an opportunity to learn more about these programs and the need at Summit County Children Services. For a complete list of information meetings, visit summitkids.org. (The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 11, at 12:30 p.m. at Maranatha Bible Church, 1424 Killian Road in Akron.)
Step 3: Fill out an application. All prospective foster and foster-to-adopt parents are required to fill out and submit an application. After submitting an application, all adult household members will have criminal background checks done.
Step 4: Attend the required pre-service training and complete the necessary paperwork. Attendees will learn more about foster care and adoption, the agency, and the children in care. While you attend training, you will be required to complete all paperwork.
Step 5: Have a home study completed. A Home Study Assessor will conduct a family assessment that involves interviews with all family members. This information gathering will help the Home Study Assessor better understand the personal values, parenting strengths and styles, and dynamics of the family to determine what children will be best suited for placement with the family. Families will also learn the unique concerns and challenges of caring for abused, neglected and dependent children.
Step 6: Identify and select a child for placement. Licensed families are assigned a Foster Home Coordinator. A child is identified for placement based on the family’s ability to meet the child’s needs. Information about foster care board rates and/or adoption subsidies is explained during this step. Prior to a child being placed with an approved adoptive family, the family is provided with detailed information about the child and any specific financial and medical resources available.
Step 7: Pre-placement of a child in the home. Prior to a child being placed with a family, the family is provided with an opportunity to discuss the characteristics of the child, as well as detailed information available regarding any specific care or special needs of the child.
Step 8: Post-placement of a child in the home. The child is placed with the family after pre-placement visits (if possible). Both the family and child must deal with new pressures and challenges. The child’s social worker and the Foster Home Coordinator will help the family through this adjustment period by making regular home visits, maintaining phone contact, and helping with counseling, crisis intervention and referral assistance.
Summit County Children Services presently has more than 650 children in custody – including more than 150 children in permanent custody waiting to be adopted – so there is always a need for foster and adoptive parents.
