Foster Care Month Highlights the Need for Support

The ribbons on the trees in front of Stafford's Government Center honor National Foster Care Month. Each ribbon represents one of the 52 children in foster care in Stafford County, a number that has risen from 40 last year. The higher number demonstrates the constant need for trained foster parents. Foster parents provide temporary care for children in foster care until it is safe for them to go back home.

"We count on family first, then foster families, to help us find stability for the children we serve in the Foster Care Unit," said DeVonne Johnson, Family Services Supervisor for Stafford County Social Services. "The end goal is always permanency, the best situation for the child. Foster care is intended to be temporary."

Who are foster children? Stafford's foster children are 52 of Virginia's nearly 5,400 foster children. Children enter the foster care system at no fault of their own and for a variety of reasons including but not limited to neglect, abuse, parental substance use, incarceration of a parent and medical illness of a parent. They range in age from birth to 17 years.

The temporary nature of foster care allows the parents to engage in services to improve their capacity to meet the needs of their children before they are reunified. This is reflected in the theme of Foster Care Month this year "Strengthening Minds. Uplifting Families." The theme highlights the need to take a holistic and culturally responsive approach to support the mental health needs of those involved with child welfare.

Stafford's goal for children is always permanency - whether with a family member or an adoptive family. In the interim, foster families fill a critical need. Who can become a foster parent? You must be 18 or older to be approved as a foster parent. There are no restrictions based on marital status, home ownership, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Interested foster parents may contact Stafford County's Department of Social Services for more information at (540) 658-4624.