More foster parents dire county need

With more than 100 children in the local foster care system, Sampson County Department of Social Services staff said they’re in dire need of more licensed foster parents to care for those in need of a family.

Carilina Simmons, the Social Work program manager for Foster Care and Adoption at the Sampson County Department of Social Services, said as of right now there are only 10 registered foster parents here to care for the 103 registered foster children.

But what does it take to be a foster parent?

Simmons explained that those interested must be at least 21 years old, pass a background check, and have — and maintain — a stable home.

“Applicants must (also) be willing to be fingerprinted and submit to a criminal records check,” she stressed.

You’ll also have to complete the required training.

“Training includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and First Aid/CPR certification,” Simmons pointed out.

She said being a foster parent isn’t an easy job, and there are things people will have to learn to handle, including how to manage children’s trauma and “the behaviors they may display as a result of the conditions that led to their placement in foster care.” Foster parents are also trained in how to appropriately discipline the children they foster, like making sure corporal punishment isn’t used.

Most of all, Simmons said, foster parents need to have big hearts and lots of love they are willing to share.

“(They) are asked to have an open mind and a loving heart,” Simmons reiterated.

While the department needs more foster parents, the program manager stressed that putting a child in foster care is always the last resort and only done after a thorough investigation of the family.

Simmons explained that DSS staff will assign a social worker to investigate allegations of abuse, neglect or substance dependency. After the investigation, the social worker will either work with the parents/caregivers to “create solutions in hopes of strengthening the family unit,” or determine that the child is at imminent risk of harm, at which point legal actions will be taken to remove them from the home.

When children do have to be removed from their home, Simmons said they work with the existing foster families to ensure the children go to a place that is right for them.

She explained that while fully licensed foster parents are able to take care of any child from birth to 21, some may have a preference of age and gender depending on their own dynamics at home and their comfort level in fostering particular ages.

“For example, a foster parent may prefer to foster adolescents, while another may prefer to foster infants and toddlers. Based on these preferences, the agency tries to match children to a foster home that will be the best fit for them,” Simmons said. “We also may encounter foster parents who prefer to provide respite or emergency care for children. Every foster parent is unique just like our children.”

But, Simmons concluded that in most cases, with help from community programs and in-home services, DSS is able to keep children in the home and the families together.

And even when children are put into foster care, Simmons stressed that the end goal is to reunite the children with their parents and caregivers again.

“We are always striving for reunification, because children need and deserve happy, thriving parents,” Simmons said.

The reunification process, according to Simmons, is a partnership between the agency and the parents/caregivers to create a case plan with them after a child is placed in foster care.

“This case plan is created with the parents’ input as well as the child if they are old enough to participate in case planning,” Simmons said. “It is the road map towards reunification. When parents complete the case plan and demonstrate a change in behavior and circumstances that led to the removal of their child, the agency makes a recommendation to the court for reunification.”

But the agency knows there is a possibility that every child will not end up reuniting with their parents. Simmons said that even though “adoption is always the last resort when working toward a permanent resolution for children and families,” there are times where the parental rights of the biological parents have been terminated and the foster parents or other family members have the opportunity to legally adopt the child.

She also stated that this result happens less than 10 percent of the time in Sampson County.

In other instances, children may age out of the foster care system.

“Approximately 2 percent of children in Sampson County’s legal and physical custody age out of foster care,” Simmons said.

She also went on to explain that this percentage changes depending on how old the child was when they were placed into foster care.

“At times, we may obtain legal and physical custody of youth who are close to their 18th birthday, thus increasing the likelihood they will age out of foster care,” Simmons said.

If you would like to apply to become a foster parent for Sampson County, you can contact the Foster Care Licensing Supervisor MeLisa Newman at 910-592-7137, ext. 3330.