Photo Courtesy of Utah Foster Care
May is Foster Care Month, and Lead Foster and Adopt Consultant Kobi Prettyman shed some light on the drastic need for foster parents in the area. Currently, there are 65 children in care, and though that is a decrease from previous years, there are currently only 15 foster families.
There are another 15 kinship families, though they already have relative placement and are not open to fostering additional children at this time. Prettyman acknowledged that foster care is not easy and that everyone’s situation is different. Prettyman herself was a Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) case worker for 10 years before shifting her focus to foster care. She has now been a foster director for 16 years.
Prettyman explained that those interested in applying to foster can begin at the website or by contacting her. She will meet with interested parties, gather background information, and provide further information on how the program works, explain requirements and more.
Following that, if the interested party or parties are feeling good about all they have learned, they will be signed up for training and background checks. They will also need to receive medical clearance and have a home inspection to ensure the safety of their dwelling. Once this has been completed, the work with DCFS for placements will begin.
The background check is $10 per person and that is the only expense included in the process. The only wage requirement is that those interested must be able to care for themselves. Additionally, bedrooms can be shared, though the children must be the same gender.
It varies case by case in how long the child will reside with a foster family, though the average is about eight months. This is due to re-unification being the goal, and a decision being made within 15 months of whether or not the child will return home. During that time, the family is given the opportunity to do what they can for their children to be allowed to return.
Though re-unification is the goal, there are times that the child will be placed for adoption. If that occurs, the foster family is eligible to review the adoption options and, at times, there may funding assistance for the adoption process.
Prettyman stated that seeing the children progress and the healing that happens when a child is safe and does not have to worry about food, clothing and where they are going to live is one of the best moments. It allows the children to begin focusing on education, learning new behaviors, emotion management and building connections.
Prettyman herself had a child in foster care that went home when she was only 14 months, and though she is now a teenager living elsewhere, they still communicate. She also said that watching families improve and witnesses the familial situation be better than it was before is very gratifying. Watching people turn their lives around to become good parents is really rewarding, Prettyman shared.
Those that are interested in learning more about foster care and possibly becoming a foster parent themselves may click here or contact Prettyman at (435) 636-0210.