Over 8,600 Ky. kids in foster care; foster parents needed
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - In January, we told you about an investigation into reports of foster care children sleeping in office buildings. The report, coming back to State Auditor Allison Ball, was concerning.
49 children spent a combined 198 days in a Department of Community-Based Services office building.
A local social services office is now calling on you to become a part of the change.
According to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, there are over 8,600 kids in foster care in Kentucky . Benchmark Family Services, a local therapeutic foster care agency, says they’re in need of hundreds more foster parents.
“Kentucky is in a placement crisis right now, which essentially means that we have more kids than we do foster families for them,” said Benchmark Family Services Regional Director Kelsie Holliday.
Benchmark Family Services works with kids up to 21 years old.
“We are a therapeutic foster care agency,” said Benchmark Family Services State Program Director Sharon Scrivner. “Now, what that means is a child comes into care so they’re removed from a parent, whether it be abuse, neglect, it could be, you know, truancy.”
Once a child is removed from their home, the state works to find them a new one for the time being. Based on their needs, some of these children will then be referred to Benchmark.
“We’re taking in the children that need services to work through some of their trauma,” said Holliday. “We’re working with the kids who, you know, need those services to overcome what they’ve been through.”
They provide counseling and psychiatry services, as well as training and licensing for foster parents. But with a lack of adults wanting to foster, instead of spending the night in a home, kids across our state are spending the night in office buildings.
“Think how a kid would feel, you know if you’re sleeping in a DCBS office or a hotel,” said Scrivner. “You’re thinking, oh, that means no one in the state of Kentucky wants me.”
Employees with Benchmark say it’s a crisis.
“I’m not going to say that fostering is not a hard job,” said Holliday. “It is very much a hard job, and it is a job that you have to be fully dedicated to doing. But they say the same thing, that it is very rewarding to see a child hit so much growth in their care.”
And it won’t change without people stepping up.
“We just want you to take a chance,” said Scrivner. “Give us a chance to show you how rewarding this can be, and just know that we will be right there beside you to help you and the kids.”
Your decision could make all the difference in a child’s life.
“A lot of our kids kind of see that as their family, so you know it’s the people that are showing up and, you know, attending their sport events and their school and posting their report cards on the refrigerator,” said Holliday.
“It could be a forever home,” said Scrivner.“It could be the one person that they feel like has ever truly loved them, the one person that they feel like they can actually trust.”
And even if it’s not a permanent placement, it could still make a permanent impact.
“They leave your home, but you create that bond; they’re going to be a part of your family forever,” said Scrivner.
The certification process, which is facilitated through Benchmark, takes five to six weeks.
If you’re interested in fostering, click here.
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