San Rafael, CA – As Marin County continues to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for resource families for foster youths has increased, particularly for teenagers.
More than 40% of local youths in foster care are placed with resource families outside of Marin because of the lack of available local homes.
Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to bring those young people back to their own communities and the support systems they need. The next orientation for potential resource families will take place online at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 10.
Children enter the child welfare system through no fault of their own and deserve to live in stable and loving homes. The goal is to reunify the children with their family when it is safe to do so. Every effort is made to keep children in their community, to keep siblings together, and to create good matches between kids and families. In order to do that, Marin HHS needs a larger and more diverse pool of homes.
It’s an especially urgent need as many Marin parents are working from home during the pandemic while helping children with distance learning and coping with the crisis. Other parents are not working at all, victims of the economic downturn associated with the virus.
Marin HHS appreciates the dedication of its existing resource families that go above and beyond to support the most vulnerable youths, especially through the uncertain economic times. There are rising concerns about mental well-being in the community considering the combination of widespread financial hardship and personal isolation attributed to the coronavirus.
Foster care is temporary and can last anywhere from a week to a year or more. Caring for children in foster care is a way to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families. Join Marin HHS staff at a monthly orientation meeting on February 10 to learn more. A social worker from Marin County Children and Family Services and a resource parent co-facilitate the meetings and discuss the application process, training and support available, as well as answer questions.
For more information and to register for an orientation meeting, visit www.FosterOurFutureMarin.org or call Leslie Fields at (415) 473-6418.