San Rafael, CA – Sadly, nearly 30 percent of the Marin County children in foster care have to live outside of Marin because of a lack of local resource families willing to provide temporary care while biological families work toward reunification.
The Marin County Recruitment Collaborative and the
Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seek more homes in Marin so they can help bring those youths back home.
In honor of National Foster Care Month in May, Marin HHS’ Children and Family Services division is co-hosting a screening of Instant Family, a movie inspired by actual events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders. The screening, also sponsored by CFI Education, will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. A panel discussion with members of the Marin fostering community will follow the screening. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Marin Foster Care Association. Tickets, which are $11.75 for adults and $8.50 for kids and seniors, are available on the Rafael’s website.
Children come into the child welfare system through no fault of their own and are among the county’s most vulnerable residents. Every effort is made to keep foster children in their own school and community, to keep siblings together, and to create good matches between kids and families. In order to do that, we need a larger, more diverse pool of foster homes. Resource families can provide temporary care to children while biological families work toward reunification or they can choose to be an adoptive family; both are needed.
“We each can play a part in enhancing the lives of kids and young people in foster care to help ensure a bright future for them,” said Leslie Fields, Marin HHS Child Welfare Worker. “We appreciate the dedication of resource parents and all the people who support them, and at this point we’re just looking for more families.”
Those unable to attend the film screening can learn more about foster care at a monthly orientation meetings hosted by Marin HHS staff. A social worker and a resource parent co-facilitate the meetings, discuss the application process, go over training and support available, and answer questions. The next orientation will take place on Wednesday, May 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Marin Health and Wellness Campus, Room 110, 3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael.
For more information and to register for an orientation meeting, visit www.FosterOurFutureMarin.org or call Leslie Fields at 415-473-6418.