Foster parents

After being halted because of the coronavirus pandemic, in-person informational meetings for foster parents will resume July 25 in Montgomery County.

The need for foster care families is high in order to support the children in the foster care system, especially because the COVID-19 pandemic had stopped previously planned in-person meetings.

“Uncertainty and anxiety is part of what we all experience in the COVID-19 era, and that is compounded for kids in foster care with difficult family situations,” said Jewell Good, assistant director of Montgomery County Children Services. “These kids need compassionate caregivers to help reassure them and comfort them — now more than ever.”

The informational meeting covers the process of becoming a licensed foster home, dynamics of child-welfare and trauma competency expectations/overview of pre-service training curriculum. It will also discuss policies/rules and discuss potential fostering effects on the fostering family.

The meetings are important for foster care families to understand the process of licensing and how foster care works.

The July 25 meeting will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and participants are required to reserve a spot to ensure proper social distancing. Call 937-276-1647 or email Karen.Lanos@jfs.ohio.gov if you’d like to attend. The meeting will take place at the Haines Children’s Center, 3304 N. Main St., where participants will be placed in socially distanced rooms and be required to wear a mask.

More information regarding future meetings can be found under the Children Services tab at www.mcohio.org.

JULIA PUCCI, STAFF WRITER