Local Families Desperately Needed for Foster Care
By TOM CARDINALE
A Monmouth County representative for the New Jersey State Department of Youth and Family Services says the area is in desperate need of foster families and is urging residents to get involved.
“My job here is I’m the recruiter for adoptive and foster parents,” Jo Pohl said.
Her list of foster and adoptive families, however, in Monmouth County is incredibly small, she said.
“Sometimes we are forced to go out of the county,” she said, noting that they are especially in need of families willing to accommodate siblings. “We frequently have to split up siblings; that is devastating to us.”
Pohl said many children are removed from their families due to abuse and neglect and it is imperative that they be placed in a home where they can receive the necessary care.
She said she is unsure why there has been a lack of families recently.
“I’m not sure if it’s the economy or more women are working,” she said. “I’m not sure what the problem is. I think it’s across the state.”
Pohl said there is a resource unit in the DYFS Southern Monmouth County office whose only job is to support people through the process of becoming foster or adoptive parents.
According to Pohl, anyone who meets certain requirements can become a foster parent. She said the requirements include being at least 18 years old and in stable health, with financial stability. However, aside from those, she said there is no discrimination based on sex or age or whether someone is single or married.
She said DYFS will do criminal and background checks on all applicants and also require references as well as a home inspection to ensure that the child will have a positive home environment. In addition, all approved foster parents must undergo 27 hours of specialized training. Pohl said all of the requirements, and the training, are done at no cost to the applicant.
Pohl also said DYFS offers as much assistance as possible to foster families, including financial assistance of over $550 per child per month, depending on the child’s age. She said, for working foster parents, DYFS also pays for day care, after school care, and summer camps. The children also receive health care paid for by DYFS until they are 18.
“We want to send the message that we need people willing to give these kids loving and supportive homes and we as an organization will be supportive to them,” she said.
Pohl said anyone interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent should contact DYFS at 1-800-99-ADOPT or 1-877-NJ-Foster.
Pohl also urged residents to visit the organization’s websites at www.njfoster.org and www.njadopt.org.
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