Foster Parents Needed in Cape May County

TRENTON — There is a need in Cape May County for more persons and families to become foster parents.
Marsha Hannah, area director for Cape May and Atlantic counties for the state Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) said the need for foster parents here may be due to a lack of year-round residents and a large senior citizen population.
As of July of this year, there were 69 licensed resource homes in the county. As of December 31, 2008, there were 794 children receiving services out of the Cape May County DYFS office and 167 of them were being served in out-of-home care.
“Just about anybody can be a foster parent, they can be single, they can be married, they can have a civil union, they can be widowed or divorced,” said Hannah.
Foster parents must be over age 18, they may have children or be childless, they may live in a house or apartment and must be able to support themselves without depending on additional income from DYFS. There is no upper age limit to be a foster parent.
“We are mostly looking for loving, safe and nurturing homes, people who are interested in taking care of children,” said Hannah.
DYFS allows up to six children in a home including a family’s own children.
Abuse, neglect and parents with substance abuse problems are the main causes children need foster care, she said.
“The most need we have right now is for infants and teenagers,” said Hannah.
Children are placed in foster care up to age 21.The federal Adoptions Safe Families Act dictates that children can remain in out-of-home placement without a permanent plan for adoption for no longer than 15 to 22 months. Hannah said the first choice is to return children to their parents or another family member.
More than half of children are able to return to their parents, she said. Those who can’t return home are most likely to be adopted by their foster parents, said Hannah.
She said DYFS works with parents to remove the issue that caused their children to be placed in foster care. The child returns home when DYFS feels it is safe for the child to return to their home, said Hannah.
Those who wish to begin the application process to become a foster parent, may call 1-877-NJFOSTER.
The application process includes a background check covering any criminal and child abuse history. Personal and employment references are checked along with school references for children living in the household.
Foster parents receive 27 hours of home study training. Most foster parents are employed. For young children, DYFS provides day care.
Since the children may be coming from a troubled home, foster parents need patience and a willingness to work with the youngster, said Hannah.
She said there is a foster program for “medically fragile” children. Foster parents in that program receive additional training.
Homes for sibling groups are needed to keep brothers and sisters together, she said.
Some former foster children, now adults, have adopted children, said Hannah.
Currently, there are 6,100 resource families in the state licensed for foster care.
“After years of losing families, when they left the system either because they adopted the children who were in their home or for other reasons had to leave the program, we are now ahead and have a net gain of 802 homes last year,” said Hannah.
Statewide, the foster care program has the capacity to serve approximately 15,000 children in out-of-home placement but currently has less than 9,000 children in care, said spokesperson Lauren Kidd. She said it is more difficult to recruit foster parents in Cape May, Salem and Hudson counties like other small counties in the state.
“There is a need families to open up their hearts and their homes in Upper Township, Wildwood, Lower Township, Ocean City and Dennis Township,” said Kidd.