The Need for Foster Care & Adoption in Marion County
A child in need of a temporary or permanent, safe home comes to the attention of our agency by referrals from many sources such as neighbors, friends, family, teachers, doctors, nurses and other people in the community. Every effort is made to work with the family while keeping the child in their home. However, in some cases, the child must be separated from their family for reasons ranging from physical abuse, neglect, sexual victimization and abandonment. When children must leave their homes, many children experience trauma which impacts the process of normal child development and affects their emotional well being. This will occur even if the child is removed from deprived and unsafe environments. Placement away from home is an interruption in the child's life.
Because being separated from one's family is difficult and disruptive, our immediate goal is to provide the child with permanency, as soon as possible. Therefore, our initial casework strategies are designed to re-stabilize the child's parents so that the child can be reunited with his/her family. Consequently, if the child's family is not able to re-stabilize itself, an alternate permanent home must be secured as soon as possible so that these children can "put down roots so they can grow". Examples of legally permanent homes are adoption, legal custody given to a relative and permanent foster care.
When children are placed in foster care, care givers are responsible for meeting the child's basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education. The agency assists caregivers in meeting those needs by providing medical insurance for the children, financial reimbursement, clothing vouchers, etc.. However, many of the children who come to need foster care have experienced physical/sexual abuse, neglect and or multiple moves. They need extra care and nurturing to begin the healing process. Foster homes are temporary places to stay with loving and safe environments where children learn to give and receive love and develop to their full potentials. Many of our foster children have grown up to be successful citizens, parents, employees, neighbors and community leaders. They have been successful because their foster and adoptive parents had realized the children's potential and had not given up even when it's been tough.
I've been with DHS for nearly 12 years and continue to see an ongoing need for loving competent foster families. Our goal is to keep children safe, provide them with structure and safety until they are either safely returned home or move on to a different permanent plan. Please consider becoming a foster or adoptive family.
Billy Cordero, Foster Home Recruiter
(503) 378 - 4722
billy.cordero@state.or.us
For more info, go to: Become a Foster & Adoptive Parent