Celebrating National Foster Care Month
The North Dakota Department of Human Services and partner agencies recognize National Foster Care Month in May. It serves to honor foster parents for their compassion and hope as they provide children and youth in foster care with safety, stability and support, while also being mentors to children and families in crisis.
National Foster Care Month campaign puts the focus on how foster care can and should be a way to strengthen families, how important it is for youth and their families to have access to high-quality legal representation and cultivate a positive partnership with the legal and judicial community, and how critical it is for children and youth to establish and maintain meaningful connections in foster care.
“Foster care is 24hour out-of-home care for children whose parents are temporarily unable to provide for their children’s needs,” says Samantha Everson. “It includes food, clothing, shelter, security, safety, guidance and comfort.”
Everson, a Licensed Bachelors Social Worker (LBSW), works as a licensing specialist for the North Dakota Department of Human Services Children and Family Services Licensing Unit.
Each year, around 2,500 children and youth in the state are placed in foster care. Nearly 1,000 licensed foster families and 275 relative caregivers open their homes and hearts to help meet these children’s needs.
“Providing foster care is a chance to give back to the community, one child at a time,” Everson says. “Foster Care Month is important because it’s an opportunity to recognize the licensed foster families and relative caregivers who are currently providing care in the state. It can be challenging at times, but it is important, and we are fortunate to have such great caregivers who do an amazing job.”
Providing care to foster children and youth is also a rewarding experience, Everson continues. The service is so very important, providing help for families going through temporary difficulties while also meeting the needs of children at a time of crisis or change.
“Foster parenting requires patience, flexibility,” Everson says, “and the ability to provide stability during a time of crisis. As a foster parent, you are never alone,” she says. “There is always a team supporting you and the child in foster care. In addition to support and technical assistance, there is also financial support, training, peer mentors, and virtual support groups offered to best support foster parents.”
North Dakota foster care doesn’t exclude anyone interested in becoming a foster parent because of race, creed, religious belief, gender identity or marital status. The qualifications to be a foster parent are as follows:
• Have an approved fingerprint-based criminal background check
• Be at least 21 years of age (single or married) • Be financially stable
• Have adequate space for a child
• Be willing to complete required training including trauma-informed care methods
• Have ability to work as a team with social workers and other service providers
• Have ability to understand and show acceptance of the child’s parents and family
To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent, contact the ND Recruitment and Retention Specialist at 1-833-FST-HOME (1833-378-4663). To learn more about National Foster Care Month, visit https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/.