Month in Review: January 2025
We began 2025 with the same dilemma we faced in 2024: not enough foster homes for the children in our community needing care. Sadly, we received referrals for 59 children last month and were only able to accept 4 of them.
Here is a further breakdown of January’s stats:
Age:
- 0-2: 9 children
- 3-5: 8 children
- 6-8: 10 children
- 9-11: 4 children
- 12-14: 11 children
- 15-17: 15 children
- 18+: 2 children
Sibling Groups:
- 34 single children
- 7 sibling groups of 2
- 3 sibling groups of 3
- 1 mother/baby placement (teen mother in foster care herself, caring for her child who is not in foster care)
Special Needs:
This is a category that we don’t specifically track, because it is hard to quantify. However, children experiencing foster care typically present with a wide range of special needs. At our Family Preparation Trainings, prospective foster/adoptive parents will often ask us, “What percentage of the kids you work with have special needs?” They are a bit surprised when our staff answers without hesitation, “100%”.
The reason for this is that all children experiencing foster care have been through trauma. While significant trauma is often the reason that they need to be removed from their birth families, even the act of being separated from their parent or caregiver is a trauma in and of itself. In addition, a disproportionate number of these children have diagnosed medical or psychiatric conditions. Many of them have been exposed to drugs or alcohol in utero, have experienced early neglect or abuse, or have had inconsistent caregivers. Due to the stressors in their family, they often have not received early intervention or evaluation for their conditions. Therefore, when they come into care we often don’t know the full extent of their needs. Foster parents have the challenging but worthwhile job of learning about the children in their care and how best to serve them.
Here is a sampling of some of the special needs represented in the above statistics:
- A teen girl is diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety. She has a history of both physical and sexual abuse.
- A one-month-old baby was born preterm and positive for drugs. She also has Down Syndrome and several heart defects. She needs a feeding tube.
- An 8-year-old girl is diagnosed with autism. She is non-verbal and communicates by pointing. She receives special education services in school.
- A 9-year-old boy is diagnosed with autism, but does not require any services at this time. He thrives on structure, routine, and schedule and sometimes has trouble picking up on social cues. He does well in school and does not have an IEP.
- A 13-year-old boy is diagnosed with autism as well as intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is prescribed several medications. A recent evaluation suggested that he will need support for the rest of his life, even after he turns 18. He sometimes has aggressive behaviors due to his disabilities.
Many people believe that it takes a “special person” to care for a child with special needs. However, we have found that all kinds of people can make amazing foster or adoptive parents to all kinds of kids. As long as you have an open heart and come willing to learn and adapt, you can do it! (Just think: many people have biological children with disabilities and while they didn’t necessarily choose that path for themselves, they have learned and adapted to caring for their child’s unique and special needs.)
If you are willing to consider caring for children with special needs, we would love to talk more! Please contact us to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent.
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