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Show Uidl FOOfGP PGFGfil OGG'I Governor Scott Matheson has proclaimed the week of April 16 through 21 as Foster Parent Week in Utah. Foster parents and foster parent advocates ad-vocates will "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" in a conspicuous place to draw the public's attention at-tention to the foster parent program. The yellow ribbon symbolizes the need for foster families and a "caring" attitude atti-tude foster parents must have. THE STATE Division of Family Services, the agency who administers the foster parent program, estimates there are 1400 children living in foster homes throughout the state. In Davis County, there are 40 children in foster homes most of these are teenagers. Thirty of the children are originally from Davis County. The remaining ten moved into the county with their foster families from another part of the state or from out-of-state. FOSTER CHILDREN range in age from 2-18. The 40 children live in 25 Davis County homes. Teenagers stay in foster care usually about six months. Pre-teens live in foster homes on an average of 2i2 to' 3 years. PRE-TEEN ARE placed in foster homes because of child abuse, neglect or dependency situations where parents aren't meeting the child's needs through no fault of their own. Behavior difficulties in the home, school and community are the major reasons teenagers are placed in foster homes. UTAH'S JUVENILE court system is responsible for deciding if a child should be placed in a foster home. The best situation would be for a family to make moves to seek counseling and therapy while the child is still living in the home. IDEALLY, FOSTER home placement is temporary-until the family and the individual child have the problems within the home solved adequately enough that the child can return to the natural home and function effectively. effec-tively. The program is really a "time-out" period which allows the family members, parents and children, to readjust to their living patterns pat-terns to handle the difficult stress situations. Originally, the foster care program was designed to service pre-teen children. Today, most children in foster care are teenagers. This presents special problems and challenges for the family services social worker and the foster parent. THERE IS always a need for foster parents. Teenage children are especially challenging and difficult to place. The Division of Family Services looks at the present home stability, good marital relationships, secure employment and behavior of the children within the home before licensing a foster care home. Because of the special problems a foster child brings into the home, single parents are licensed infrequently although occasionally, a single parent can provide the special help a child has not found elsewhere. PEOPLE WHO have the capacity to reach out and meet the needs of others especially es-pecially the needs of troubled teenagers make the best foster parents. These foster parents are licensed by the Division of Family Services on a yearly basis. Homes where there are six children under 18 will not be considered for the foster care program. BEGINNING FOSTER parents are licensed without special training. For those individuals who want to accept ac-cept more difficult children, there is a special training program. An adequate pay supplement is given to foster parents who take more difficult dif-ficult children. Anyone interested in applying apply-ing to be foster parents should contact the Davis County Family Services offices at 773-4625, 376-1296 or 867-2224 for more information and an application. FOSTER CARE is a cooperative program between the child, the foster parents, . the natural parents and a : division of family services social worker. The foster family can rely on the social worker for help with school, home and court problems. Before a child is placed in a foster home, the prospective foster parents have an opportunity oppor-tunity to review the child's history and to meet the child. They can then choose whether or not to accept the child into their home. DAVIS COUNTY has a Foster Parent Association for all foster parents and others :: interested in foster care. Members of this organization 5 are willing to talk to prospec- tive foster parents about the problems and rewards of the ; program. Anyone wishing to discuss the program with a ; foster parent can call i 295-5363, 376-1530, 867-2574 or 773-5667. dmg |