PORT ANGELES — The critical need for individuals and families who can provide safe, temporary homes for children placed in foster care in Clallam County inspired two informational sessions for those who have questions or are interested in becoming foster parents.
“Foster Care Awareness Night” will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Sequim High School auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave., and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Port Angeles High School auditorium, 304 E. Park Ave.
“If we don’t have an open foster home in Clallam County, children will not be brought into care and they’ll stay at a home that may be considered dangerous, so we’re really trying to expand the number of available foster homes that we have to support all the kiddos who need care,” said Merrin Packer, the liaison between the Sequim School District and Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and one of the event’s organizers.
“We really only have 30 foster homes that are currently accepting new placements, and we have over 100 foster youth brought into care every year, so the math is just not good.”
According to the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, there were 80 children in foster care in Clallam County through the second week of November. Statewide, there were 6,275 children placed in out-of-home care and in custody of the DCYF.
“This night is to educate our community on foster care, answer questions about becoming foster parents and what the responsibilities are as well as what the process looks like,” Packer said.
The program will start with a 25-minute documentary about foster care from the perspective of children who have been in the system.
It will be followed by a panel of individuals with knowledge of the legal, social and emotional aspects of out-of-care placement, including Brandon Mack, family court commissioner for Clallam County Superior Court; two DCYF supervisors; a representative from Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); a CPS supervisor and Packer, a foster parent.
Packer and her husband, Jarom Packer, an elementary school teacher in the Port Angeles School District, adopted three children now ages 2, 3 and 4 they originally took in as infants through the foster care system (although this is uncommon).
Packer called being a foster parent “humbling” and “a blessing,” while acknowledging the many challenges of the role.
One of the most significant, she said, is accepting that even though you love and support a child, you have little say in what happens to him or her.
“Children in foster care are the custodial jurisdiction of the state, so they are the decision-makers and their primary goal is reuniting the child back in with the biological family,” Packer said. “Sometimes foster parents are not going to agree with that, and it’s hard to hold your tongue.”
A barrier to recruiting foster parents, she said, is the amount of time and effort it takes to get through the approval process.
“It is rigorous,” Packer said. “It takes an average of three to four months to get licensed.
“You have to go through 24 hours of training that teaches you all about the court process, how do you respond to certain behaviors, how to work with families and kind of what you’re getting yourself into.”
Individuals also must obtain first aid and CPR certification, undergo a federal background check and fingerprinting, receive a home visit from a social worker and agree to fulfilling continuing education requirements.
But once you become a foster parent, Packer said, you join a community of other foster families who can be relied on for everything from emotional support to loaning a crib for a newborn.
One of the most important things to remember, Packer said, is that many children haven’t been taught well.
“They might not have been taught how to brush their teeth before bed. They might not have been taught to eat dinner together as a family at the table. They might not have been taught to use their manners,” Packer said.
“But because they have bad behaviors, doesn’t mean they’re a bad kid. These things can change with a positive environment.”
For questions and more information, contact Merrin Packer at mpacker@sequimschools.org.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@soundpublishing.com.
