BUCYRUS – Finding foster homes for Crawford County children who desperately need them has become a challenge in more ways than one.
Another downfall, agency officials say, blamed largely on the Coronavirus pandemic.
The ability of Crawford County Job & Family Services to license and recruit foster families has been directly impacted by the pandemic, according to Dustin Stauffer, Foster Care & Adoption Supervisor for the agency’s Child Protective Services Unit, and his associates and supervisors.
Recruiting efforts have been hampered, he said, because public speaking engagements have been put on hold. What’s more, in-person pre-service training sessions have been limited by the state, so the agency has had to rely on virtual training to help with the licensing process, Stauffer said.
“The pandemic has not impacted the number of cases the agency has opened and the number of children needing to come into the agency’s custody,” Stauffer said. “However, due to a limited number of foster homes in Crawford County, the agency has had to place children in out-of-county homes when foster care is necessary.”
During the school shutdown earlier in the year, Stauffer said, foster parents were also saddled with assuming new roles, such as that of classroom teacher. Visits between birth families and their children placed outside of the home also had to be conducted virtually not just to ensure everyone’s safety but also to provide more timely services.
Sara Dean, Network Coordinator for The Village Network in Richland County, said COVID-19 has definitely changed the way her private, non-profit agency provides training, education and support services. “What’s happening in the foster care realm in general is difficult these days, and then you add in the pandemic,” Dean said.
Dean, whose organization contracts with Crawford and other counties for foster care services, noted that the elimination of face-to-face contact and the dependence on virtual visits like “Zoom” for caregivers instead can sometimes lead to depression, isolation, frustration and other issues for children and their foster families.
“We’re continuing to see the impact. It’s making people very anxious and reserved,” said Dean, a 23-year veteran of the foster care and adoption system. “It’s even starting to limit the number of kids you can put into a home. It was already difficult. Now it’s an uphill battle.”
Dean, like Stauffer in Crawford County, said foster parents in Ohio and across the country have had to adjust to being schoolteachers. In addition, she said, some have either lost their jobs or are struggling with limited income due largely to the economic effects of the pandemic. “These become crises that people have to face,” she said.
“As a foster care society, we’re asking these caregivers to do more,” Dean said. “The need is still very high, but you’re not always going to get a kid that fits in your profile. Plus, it’s a process to become licensed. Sometimes it can take up to six months. It doesn’t just happen overnight.”
Stauffer said now that school is back in session, reports of abuse and neglect are expected to increase, so the need for foster care and/or adoption is greater than ever. He said becoming a licensed foster care provider for respite purposes is also an option in order to gain experience before accepting a foster care placement.
Anyone willing to open up their home to a child in need can contact the agency’s Foster Care & Adoption Coordinator, Beth Sergent, at 567-393-4733 or at Bethany.Sergent@jfs.ohio.gov. Children available for adoption may also be viewed online by visiting www.crawfordcountyjfs.org.
Dean said that the love and stability foster parents can provide can change a child’s life forever. She encouraged families to share her passion and step up to the plate because there’s always been a need, but it’s bigger now more than ever.
“Or the community can help by being a part of getting them to a permanent home,” she said. “The message is you are needed. It is a lifestyle change, but you are definitely serving.”