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Show I;:,- fCv. I 7T" ' J V lM.'V'1' 'J f'Y ' j CAN vou HELP HIM. Tommy, an 11 year old, is caught in a family triangle. There is help through the Foster Care in Iron County. Many youth in County need Parental Guidance families in Iron County, some children from other counties placed in Iron County, and some children from Iron County placed elsewhere in the state. Mr. Anderson stated that during the next year at least 15 new foster homes will be needed. He added that "the biggest problem in getting homes is the lack of public awareness of the need. The majority of people in the area do not realize that these problems do exist in our area." Who would qualify as a foster parent? "Those parents who have a capacity to love, discipline, provide security, and are willing to take children have the basic ingredients needed to make good foster parents. There is a need for homes of all kinds. This includes the need for a variety of religious and socioeconomic socio-economic backgrounds." Mr. Anderson added that each child is matched to the family and that a family which might be perfect for one child would fail Tommy, age 11, was in another fight today at school. His parents are in the process of being divorced; his mother doesn't know what to do with him; his teacher is about to give up; and Tommy himself is discouraged and disappointed with life. . Tommy (fictional name), his brothers and sisters and hundreds hun-dreds like him are right now facing similar problems. How are these young people being helped? What can we do to help? For the answer to these and other questions we went to Don Anderson, Social Worker in charge of Foster Care in Iron County. Mr. Anderson, an employee em-ployee of the Utah State Division of P'amily Services indicated that "there is an urgent need for more people to volunteer as Foster Parents and that there is a great need for homes for older children." At the present time Mr. Anderson An-derson supervises 35 Foster Care cases. This includes 25-30 (it varies from time to time) miseramy witn anotner child. Any parents volunteering to take a foster child have the. opportunity op-portunity of participating in the placement decision. Visits by the natural parents are usually encouraged but only on a controlled and organized basis; and the State or the natural parents will pay a regular monthly sum plus medical and dental care for these youngsters while they are in the foster home. The question is asked, "Why do these children need foster homes?" Mr. Anderson indicated that the majority of these children are suffering from a lack of supervision because of the breakdown of family relationships. Others are abused, neglected, or abandoned. When the home situation becomes intolerable either the parents or the children seek help. It would seem that "there is a lack of parent education and because a good parent-child relationship has not been established in early years the family disintegrates and is unable to cope with problems. This is particularly true when children reach the teenage years." During the past year children from the age of 8 months to 18 or 20 years old have needed foster homes here in the Iron County area. How can you apply to be a foster parent? First, call Ethel Smith at Division of Family Services 586-3841. She will help you with the paper work and then you will be referred to Mr. Anderson An-derson who will do a home study which includes an interview and observation of the home situation. Four letters of recommendation will also be needed. Next week this series w ill deal with a case study and some interesting in-teresting facts about Mr. Anderson An-derson and how he supports the foster parents and assists children. |