By Megan Wehring
With nearly 2,200 foster children in Central Texas, local foster agencies are receiving more notices of children in need of placement. This influx of calls is driven by the stresses of COVID-19, resulting in fewer families capable of fostering.
In comparison from December 2020 to December 2019, there were 200 more children in need of foster homes, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). January 2021 data is not yet available. DFPS sets regions all across the state; Hays and Travis are just two out of the 30 counties that Region 7 serves.
Lonestar Social Services is working to recruit more adoptive and foster families. The need for more foster parents has skyrocketed, said Sara Wehring, assistant director and case manager for Region 7.
“The need has always been there,” Wehring said. “But, COVID-19 and the stresses that this pandemic has put on families, has increased this need.”
Recruiting foster parents is requiring a little more creativity, Wehring said.
“With foster agencies not being able to meet large groups of people in person at foster care information meetings,” Wehring said, “we are having to find new ways to reach potential foster parents and express this need for homes who can support this vulnerable population.”
Families interested in fostering or adopting are encouraged to reach out to their local agency. Virtual informational meetings also can help.
Agencies have several requirements for interested families including: background checks with fingerprints, in-person CPR/First Aid training for adults and children and other state-required trainings. Home studies will also be conducted. These involve information about the home, family history, references and interviews with all household members.
The home study will ensure the applicant is a good fit for future foster children.
Not every family is called to foster so Wehring provided some other avenues that can help.
Those who are unable to foster children can reach out to a nearby foster agency to inquire about providing respite or babysitting services to licensed homes. Those individuals can also donate goods or time to local foster care agencies to provide necessary supplies and services to foster homes and children, Wehring added.
Individuals can also help by educating their neighbors or community members about the consistent need for foster parents and signs of suspected abuse or neglect in children around them, Wehring explained.
Some children may bounce from foster home to foster home more frequently than others. Wehring said that at Lonestar, they try to educate families as much as possible about the possible difficulties that may occur.
“Although everyone agrees that abuse and neglect is terrible,” Wehring said, “it is difficult to understand just how life changing it can be, especially for our adult caregivers who have not experienced anything similar. We also remind our foster parents that these children have been taken from everything they know and love. My most important reminder to the foster parents that I have worked with is to give these kiddos some grace.”
Food insecurity is a common concern, Wehring said, and parents are encouraged to find creative ways to show children that they have plenty of food like an easy-access snack basket. Wehring added that it is also important that parents are providing meals or snacks every two hours, since children with backgrounds of abuse or neglect have a more difficult time regulating their blood sugar.
“Overall, we encourage our parents to look beyond whatever behavior is displaying itself and find out why the child is doing this behavior,” Wehring told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch.
Each foster family has a case manager assigned to its home. The case manager will address any questions or concerns to help guide them through the process while also visiting the home for a monthly walk-through.
“[Lonestar] agency really attempts to be available in whatever way we can,” Wehring said. “We know that fostering requires a lot of time and effort and regardless of the reimbursement received for physical needs, we know our foster parents are doing so much for these children and the agency wants to support them during this time.”
Fostering is more than providing a place to stay for a few nights; It’s giving children a loving, safe environment when they may be recovering from a history of neglect or do not have any other options. Agencies work to find permanent adoptive families for the thousands of children who are in the Texas foster care system.
