SMETHPORT – There is a growing need for foster parents in McKean
County.

“While our foster parents are wonderful people and we have an
impressive number of them for a county our size, there is still a
need for foster parents willing to take teenagers,” according to
Lisa Johnston, foster care coordinator for the McKean County
Children and Youth Services, the public agency responsible for
serving neglected and abused children and their families.

“The need is based on the fact that we’ve had a large number of
placements recently, and the active foster homes we have are
filling up rapidly,” said R.J. McDowell, ongoing supervisor for
CYS. “We’re going to need more foster homes for future placements,
specifically for probation teenagers and those with special
needs.”

The county court decides when children are placed in foster
care, but the biological parents may also agree to a relinquishing
of parental rights. CYS must prove that the child’s safety is at
risk by staying in the home.

Foster children range in age from infancy through 21 years, but
most of them are released by the age of 18. McDowell said, “We have
kept children past the age of 18, only because they were willing to
stay and finish high school.”

“For that to happen,” said Sue Hogue, program specialist for
specialized foster care, “the child is required to write a letter
to the court asking to remain in foster care until they
graduate.”

Johnston noted the state mandates that abused and neglected
children be placed in the least restrictive setting, which is a
foster home.

According to CYS, “A foster home is a safe haven for abused or
neglected children. The child resides in the foster home and
becomes a part of that home.”

In specialized foster care, foster parents open their homes to a
child with specialized needs that exceed the coping abilities of
traditional foster home, but who are yet ready to return to their
biological homes.

McKean County has 25 foster homes and 10 specialized foster
homes, according to “Dusty” Carl, adoption and family care
coordinator.

“Some foster parents will take a child temporarily until a more
permanent foster home can be found,” McDowell said. “If a child is
not within the age range or does not fit in with the family, the
foster parents will agree to take the child for a certain period of
time.”

What happens to children until foster care is available?

“We don’t ever leave a child in a home just because there’s no
placement,” McDowell said. “They are never left in a high-risk
situation. If foster homes are not available at the time, the
children would be placed in a shelter facility, but this is
expensive since these costs are not reimbursed by state or federal
money.”

Prospective foster parents can discuss with CYS personnel the
types of children who are best suited to their particular
situations.

All foster parents must be at least 21-years-old, and single
parents are eligible to apply. During their first year, foster
parents are required to attend an orientation session of six hours
For specialized foster care parents, Hogue, who holds a master of
social work, provides much of the needed training in the home.
While state law sets foster parent training at six hours every
year, McKean County has opted for 10 hours annually.

There are no restrictions on having two foster children placed
in the same foster home.

McDowell said, “This depends on the room the foster parents
have, provided the home passes a safety inspection. The law limits
six children in any foster home, but not more than three foster
children at any one time. We try to keep siblings together if we
can. As long as the home is C-3 certified, CYS may request a waiver
from the Department of Public Welfare to place a fourth child in a
sibling group.”

Johnston pointed to federal legislation affecting foster
children. “In 1997, then-President Bill Clinton signed into law the
Adoption and Safe Families Act, which states that from the time of
placement up to 15 months, or 15 of the last 22 months in foster
care, we must look for permanency for children so they’re not
lingering in foster care continually.

“So the length of placement depends on the safety of the
children. That’s our number one concern: safety of children in the
home. And hopefully, by the time we place the children in foster
care, they can be reunited with their parents in the shortest time
possible, but still making sure that they will be safe in their
natural home.”

Many foster children in the county do get reunited with their
biological parents.

Once children enter foster care, a team of specialists including
CYS personnel and service providers, draft service plans for them,
and these are subject to court approval. One of the sections in the
plan spells out the matter of parental visitations.

State law requires one hour of visitation every two weeks, or
more frequently, depending on the order of the court, but the
judges have the right to revoke these rights if the child’s safety
is at risk. The court also determines the level of supervision
during parental visits, which are held at neutral sites, and this
depends on the child’s safety and the progress shown toward a
return to the biological home.

McDowell said, “Usually, these visits begin as supervised, but
can quickly move to unsupervised if things go well. Depending on
the circumstances, the visits could move to unsupervised overnights
and weekends.”

While children are in foster care, the CYS continues working
with the natural family to alleviate any circumstances that led to
the child’s removal. The agency refers the parents to The Guidance
Center, Beacon Light or Port Psychological Services Inc. The
parents choose their own provider.

Foster parents receive financial assistance for each child
placed in their care. In addition to this daily rate, there are
also monthly allotments for clothing expenses.

Some foster parents ultimately adopt their foster children. “If
we have a child in foster care and there’s a termination, the
foster parents have the opportunity to adopt, and a lot of them
have done just that. Single parents and couples are eligible to
adopt.”

Foster parents in the county are a closely-knit group, McDowell
noted. “We encourage them to remain in contact with each other. All
are members of the foster parents’ association.”

This past summer, the agency sponsored a picnic for the foster
parents and the foster children and their extended families.

A current and former foster parent have talked about the
satisfaction they have received in this vital role in the
children’s lives.

Pat Lord and her husband, Bill, have been in the program for 14
years. Pat said, “It’s interesting when foster children you’ve had
show up at your door, often unannounced, and pay a visit. Of
course, we enjoy seeing them again. They often tell you something
that you did for them made a big difference in their lives.”

A former foster parent herself, McDowell said, “It was fun, but
also a lot of work sometimes. It makes a difference too, when you
have kids who grow up and raise their own children differently than
their parents did. Often, they say, ‘We did that because you showed
us a different way.'”