The Henrico County Department of Social Services will hold a meeting Thursday, August 22 for individuals and couples who may be interested in providing foster care to county youth.
Henrico has a significant need for foster parents, with 98 children placed in foster care as of April 30, according to Social Services. A total of 53 children entered care during the past year.
The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Board Room of the Human Services Building, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive. Participants will learn about the needs of foster children; the traits of a successful foster parent; the ways to work with program staff and the child’s biological parents; and the application and approval process.
“A foster parent can truly make a positive difference in the life of a child,” said Shawn Rozier, assistant director of Social Services. “Children who need foster care have the same talents, gifts, hopes and dreams of other children. They need a stable, loving home to live in while we work with their families to address the problems that brought them into foster care.”
Foster parents are asked to be available around-the-clock to bring children into their homes and provide short-term and potentially long-term care in a safe, stable environment. Foster homes are needed for children of all ages, children with special needs and sibling groups. Foster parents must be at least 21, have their own source of income and sufficient living space to care for a child. Foster parents can be single or married, male or female, with or without children of their own and from all backgrounds, races and nationalities. Foster parents receive monthly stipends to offset their costs of care. Greater payments support the care provided to older children or sibling groups.
To register for the meeting, call Georgia Phillips at (804) 501-7496 or Tony Jones at (804) 501-4245. For information about foster care, go to www.henricocares.org.
