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Sullivan kids need foster parents

Heroin leaving children without homes

Patricio Robayo - Staff Writer
Posted 7/17/18

SULLIVAN — The latest report from the US Department of Health (DOH) and Human Services Administration for Children and Families found that in 2016, 437,465 children were in foster care throughout …

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Sullivan kids need foster parents

Heroin leaving children without homes

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SULLIVAN — The latest report from the US Department of Health (DOH) and Human Services Administration for Children and Families found that in 2016, 437,465 children were in foster care throughout America. This amount is a jump from a 2012 report which listed 396,966 children in foster care.

Currently, there can be anywhere from 95 to 100 children in Sullivan County's foster homes, according to Sullivan County Division of Health and Family Services Commissioner Joe Todora.

“There is need to recruit foster parents in this county,” Todora said. In Sullivan County alone there are at least 35 certified foster homes that the children live in until they are adopted.

“Since my time here, I have seen it go down as low as 80 but there has been a bump of children entering foster homes,” added Todora. “We are finding the cause to be heroin addicted parents.”

According to the DOH report, 18 percent of those who enter into the foster care are less than a year old.

The top three reasons for a child to be removed from their parents and placed into foster care are neglect, drug abuse and caretaker inability to cope with having a child.

Many of the children who enter the foster care program do come from broken homes and might need additional care.

“On top of the regular foster homes, we have foster homes where the parents get more training and are more prepared to handle these special cases,” said Robert Kuhn, deputy commissioner for Sullivan County Division of Health and Family Services.

“With those special foster homes, the number of available homes rises to 60,” added Kuhn.

According to Kuhn, the county is mandated to have a foster care program and that the available foster homes should be at least four times the amount of children in order to handle emergency cases.

“We are nowhere near that,” said Kuhn. “What we have is fine for the time being, but we have a need to recruit foster parents,” said Kuhn.

To become a foster parent, the person must attend 10 weeks worth of training that is held at the Health and Family Services campus in Liberty and meet about once a week.

The agency also visits the potential foster home and does an extensive background check of foster parents.

“We try our best to connect them with their birth parents, but after a year we start to know that they will not be returned to their home, this is when we put them up for adoption,” said Todora.

Children in foster care stay in a foster home until they are adopted or can be reunited with their birth parents.

“What we are pushing now is to try to place foster children with their next of kin,” said Todora. “That way, the child can be more comfortable with the foster parent because they are related.”

Those who are interested in becoming a foster parent should call Michael J. Osepowicz the Sullivan County Department of Family Services Senior Caseworker (845) 292-0100 ext. 2292 or (845) 292-0100 ext. 2389.

Is becoming a foster care parent for everyone?

Sharon Morgan, author and former Executive Director of the Human Rights Commission in Sullivan County, would say no.

“Fostering is not for everyone. However, I would urge anyone who has the room in their heart and home to consider it. We can either bemoan the fact of so many lost or we can embrace the responsibility of helping them find their way,” said Morgan.

Morgan wanted to become a foster parent for the right reasons - to be able to help a child, to be able to grow up in a positive environment. She wanted to help.

“I have a commitment for doing things for the community and I was interested in helping troubled youth,” said Morgan who was a foster parent for two and half years and would have been longer for not one bad experience.

One night an emergency case that involved a troubled teen was dropped off at Morgan's door. “They just dropped off a duffle bag and bag of pills and when I asked what I was suppose to do with these, they told her, ‘She knows when and what they are,” said Morgan.

Soon after, Morgan did some research online on the medication that this troubled teen was on. It was the first indication that she might be in over her head with this teen.

“She had some serious psychological problems going on,” recalled Morgan.

The teen eventually became more aggressive over time and Morgan had no choice but to call the police as she felt her life was in danger. The teen began hurting herself and threatening to hurt Morgan by throwing a chair.

“I called everyone I could over two days,” said Morgan. “But nobody came.” According to Morgan, the case worker and police could come to the home to pick up the child and remove her.

According to Morgan, the police told her that the teen had to hurt her first and the case worker was not able to pick up the child for awhile.

Morgan felt like she was alone and hopeless because no one would help her.

“If you go into this, be prepared to be alone and to fend for yourself,” said Morgan.

“I don't blame the program or the case workers, they do care but they're overwhelmed with cases and work,” said Morgan. “These kids need this, foster care can change a kid's life forever. I wouldn't try to discourage people from becoming foster parents. Do it, but it will not be easy.”

One child who was with Morgan the longest was one of those cases that you can call a success. At first the child came to her angry and was acting out because of her new surroundings.

“When I received the call from the foster care agency, it was a complete surprise,” said Morgan. “I was in my garden when the phone rang, looking forward to a quiet holiday weekend of not much to do,” recalled Morgan during speech during a fostercare appreciation event in 2016. “The case worker asked if I would accept a child for ‘respite.' That means an urgent, temporary placement that is an alternative to institutional care. It was my decision to accept or not. There was no pressure, although their hope was that, after dealing with the emergency at hand, I might consider permanency.”

Morgan then asked what would happen if she declined. The agency told her that if she did not accept that the teen would be taken to a “facility.”

“She was, at that very moment, sitting in their offices, waiting to hear her fate. How could I not say ‘yes'?” said Morgan.

“She needed to trust me, she didn't know who I was,” said Morgan. After six months, the child began getting familiar with the surroundings. In fact, the child started to become a mentor of sorts to other foster children that came through the home.”

Morgan untill this day keeps in contact with her foster child and is happy to see that she's growing up with a more stable home.

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