Editorial: 1,388 for 3,634; the numbers don't add up

The numbers don’t add up

It’s not an easy gig, fostering a child. There are many obstacles, including those thrown up by the state.

It doesn’t matter how many children of your own you’ve raised. You’ll have to take classes on child rearing. You’ll also have inspections at your house (make sure your cholesterol statins are secure in a lock box and the fire extinguisher works). Don’t forget the court appearances—which may or may not be in your own county. Keep your first aid/ CPR certificate handy for when state workers visit. Some states have travel restrictions on foster kids, so plan around that, too. And the paperwork is endless.

None of that is to say that the state’s rules aren’t necessary. Only to say that fostering isn’t an easy gig.

Have we mentioned that foster kids are, well, human, and each individual comes with his/her own problems? Combine that stuff with the child’s fear of the unknown, unfamiliar settings, longing for biological parents (who may or may not be in the picture) and siblings who may be far off, and the recipe is set for … .

Well, it depends. Every situation is different. Fostering can be life-changing, life-giving, life-affirming. But it’s work.

The paper said the other day that there are 3,634 children in the foster care system in Arkansas. Josh Snyder’s article also said there are 1,388 families caring for foster children.

The numbers don’t add up. Even for those families caring for multiple foster children, there are going to be other kids left behind, perhaps in some sort of group home or staffed residential center today.

On Monday, the governor announced a statewide effort to recruit more Arkansans to become foster parents. She was joined at the news conference by state DHS types and some private and religious affiliations. The good news is that the working group established under an executive order by the governor previously put together recommendations for change, and some of those recommendations include making things simpler for foster families.

Not easy. But simpler. (We especially like the part about decreasing the number of hours of foster parent training.)

This is wholly a good thing, this new effort. For all the problems some biological parents have, one thing is sure: Those problems aren’t the fault of the children. And when family life falls apart, or a parent is jailed or disappears, these children are maybe the most vulnerable among us. And they deserve a future.

Fewer than 1,400 foster families can’t handle the numbers. The state needs to recruit many more willing to open up their homes.

A good start was to feature the kind of people the governor stood with at her announcement. As recruiters. And guiding lights. To quote one, Jordan Summers:

“I will not stand here in front of you and say it’s been easy. I will stand here in front of you and say we have been wrecked. We have been exhausted and stretched and bruised and hopeful and hopeless and excited and angry and all the things. But I can stand here and tell you that that girl is a different child than she was three months ago.”

It’s never easy. But the best rewards never come that way anyhow.