News

Foster care caseworkers on the road for recruitment

posted 4/10/15 -- Church community to learn about foster parenting

Foster care workers from Lorain County Children Services will present the need for more foster parents at Lorain’s Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini after services on April 11 and 12. This is the fourth church this year that has invited the caseworkers to talk about foster parenting in Lorain County, all welcome opportunities for the people tasked with assuring there are enough foster parents for children who need them.

“Foster parents are a critical part of our community’s safety net. If children can’t be parented by their parents or relatives, they need to stay with a trained, licensed and supported foster family. We know there are many residents who have thought about fostering and we just need to find them and ask them to take the next step and get in touch with us for concrete information,” said Julie Schoenlein, a supervisor with Lorain County Children Services.

“When we get invited in to speak with groups, including congregations like the wonderful people we will meet this weekend, I think it helps that people hear our message in a place that is comfortable for them,” added Schoenlein. “We have a short presentation and then we stick around after services to answer questions. We always get a lot of questions,” she added.

“Lots of people worry about what it will be like when a child goes home. If we recruited the right person as a foster parent, yes, you will care a lot about the child and yes, you will miss them if they leave and go back home,” said Schoenlein, adding “And our experienced foster parents will also tell you that the feeling of having made a difference for that child and family completely outweighs the sadness of saying goodbye.”

The presentation at St. Frances will encourage people to sign up for the Foster Parenting Information Night set for Tuesday, April 14 at 6PM in the Lorain County Administration Building. During the Information Night, staff will give a detailed overview of child abuse, foster parenting and Lorain County Children Services’ policies and expectations. “We want to dispel myths and stereotypes and give people accurate information,” said Schoenlein.

People interested in learning more about foster parenting or who want to schedule a presentation by Children Services caseworkers should call Schoenlein at 440-(440) 328-2467 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit www.ChildrenServices.org