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NEWS

Need for foster families on the rise

Casey Blake | cblake@citizen-times.com
  • 300 children are in foster care in Buncombe County.
  • 50 percent of foster youths complete high school by their 18th birthday.
  • Lack of continuity is among factors that put foster kids at a distinct disadvantage, academically.

When Elizabeth Schuman started fostering children with special behavioral needs four years ago, she expected to deal primarily with teenagers — kids who needed some extra discipline, love and a therapeutic environment.

She knew the kids she would take in would be challenging, maybe violent, with a lot to overcome.

But she was surprised when she got the first call, asking to place a 6-year-old with her, then was even more surprised to when she got the call about a 3-year-old.

“There is definitely a serious need, and a lot more kids than you realize who just don’t have a place to go or the resources they need to get basic help,” Schuman said.

“It can be really tough, and it’s a hard thing, but it’s also really rewarding,” she said. “We need more good people willing to do this work.”

Foster agencies in Western North Carolina are reporting in increase in recent months for referrals to foster care programs, and fewer families to fill the need.

There are nearly 300 children in foster care in Buncombe County, according to data from Eliada Homes.

In Henderson County there are about 150, in Macon nearly 50, in Haywood 110 and in Cherokee nearly 100.

“Historically, we’ve always seen a correlation between economic decline and greater need,” said Kelly Shusko, director of Eliada Home’s foster care program. “When families are in severe financial distress, stress is higher, parents are often not making their best parenting decisions and it’s harder to find appropriate care.

“Some of it is in numbers, just needing more families,” she said. “But a lot of it is a real need to have families in more diverse locations, and able to accommodate more children.”

More agencies, higher demand

The foster care agency landscape has changed significantly in the last 10 years in North Carolina, with more private and for-profit foster agencies popping up across the state.

Agencies that match children with foster families are funded by Medicaid and must be licensed through the state, though there is no requirement that they be nonprofits like Eliada Homes.

Eliada has 43 children in foster care, in foster homes spanning the region from McDowell to Macon counties.

Most local for-profit foster agencies are “therapeutic” foster care agencies, which generally specialize in children with particularly severe health struggles. Therapeutic foster parents, like Shuman, go through special training and host children with challenges ranging from ADHD to bipolar disorder to autism.

The Brandi Nichole Family Enrichment Center, a therapeutic foster care agency in Asheville, has seen a significant jump in referrals in recent months, with nowhere near the families to match the needs.

“We are seeing such a dramatic increase and seeing so many referrals every day, and we just don’t have the homes to put them in,” said Charlene Fidelia, spokesperson for the Brandi Nicole Center. “Last week, we turned away five children in one day. That’s just heartbreaking, to have to say ‘we can’t help you.’”

Fidelia said the agency has 14 kids in foster care, the majority of them teenagers. At least 85 percent of the kids in its care are between 12-18 on any given day, she added.

“The positive side is that more agencies are available to give families what they need,” Shusko said, “though I think it speaks to the need that not even those additional agencies are able to meet the needs we’re seeing.”

Eliada Homes intake coordinator Kamira Starling said that, unfortunately, jumps in intake numbers and referrals tend to come in primarily unpredictable waves, though there are some more common trends.

Agencies will often see an influx of referrals for teenagers in the summer, with more younger children appearing throughout the school year.

The foster care impact on progress

That lack of continuity is among many factors that put foster kids at a distinct disadvantage, academically and socially.

When a move to a new school happens, up to six months of academic progress can be lost, which can make finishing high school a struggle for some students.

Only half of foster youths complete high school by their 18th birthday, according to data from the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, compared to the 70 percent of kids not in the foster care system who graduate by age 18.

Children ages 5-17 make up the largest group of children in foster care, and just less than 60 percent of those children will experience at least two to three living placements, according to the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education.

Economic indicators across the board on childhood poverty show North Carolina families are still feeling the effects of the economic downturn.

According to a new report from Annie E. Casey Foundation, North Carolina was ranked 34th in the nation when it comes to overall child well-being. The state saw improvements in some health and education areas, but economic well-being for children lagged.

The state ranked 38th in economic well-being of children. According to the report, 21 percent of children lived in poverty in 2005. In 2012, the number was 26 percent.

According to the National Foster Care Coalition, on any given day more than 400,000 children are in foster care in the United States. While 128,000 children are eventually reunited with their families, 52,000 find homes through adoption and 36,000 live with a guardian or family members through kinship care, another 28,000 will age out of the foster care system because they became too old and another 1,500 will run away.

The experience of foster care can take its toll, with children and adolescents in the system experiencing PTSD at twice the rate of U.S. war veterans. For youths who age out of care, about 25 percent are incarcerated within two years.

The National Association of Social Workers reports that fewer than 3 percent of former foster youths will achieve a college degree, and more than 25 percent will be homeless within three years of leaving care.

Finding homes that fit children’s needs

Shusko said the problem in matching children with foster families is more complex than just a demand issue.

Ultimately, there are not enough homes, Shusko said. But an added challenge is finding the right kinds of homes — those large enough to accommodate siblings and homes nearby the child’s school and family, for example.

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, public schools are required to allow homeless students to stay in their school of origin no matter where they currently live, meaning a student who moves around can be bused in even from another school district.

That regulation does not apply to foster children, so if a family is not available in the child’s same school district, that can mean switching schools or even school systems.

“We work very hard and go to great lengths not to allow that disruption,” she said, “but it’s not always possible to avoid.”

Several agencies based out of Buncombe County serve surrounding areas, though many outlying counties are still drastically undeserved, Shusko said.

“Haywood County is particularly, chronically undeserved,” she said. “We try to meet the needs of children there but often if they’re referred to us our only option is to place them in Buncombe County.”

Lori Norris-Sutphin, program director with the nonprofit Black Mountain Home for Children, said the main trend they’ve seen in recent months is an uptick in the number of larger sibling groups.

“We’ve barely had a single referrals of a child who wasn’t part of a sibling group in recent months, which is obviously a bigger challenge to find families who can accommodate them,” Norris-Sutphin said. “Of course, it’s always our goal to keep siblings together, but that’s not always possible, and that can be really hard.

“Ultimately, we just need more families and people willing to step up,” she said. “It’s not easy, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.”

By the numbers

300 children are in foster care in Buncombe County.

150 are in Henderson County, 50 in Macon, 110 in Haywood and 100 in Cherokee.

50 percent of foster youths complete high school by their 18th birthday, according to data from the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, compared to the 70 percent of kids not in the foster care system who graduate by age 18.

Children and adolescents in the system experiencing PTSD at twice the rate of US war veterans.

For youths who age out of care, about 25 percent are incarcerated within 2 years.

Fewer than 3 percent of former foster youths will achieve a college degree, and more than 25 percent will be homeless within three years of leaving care, according to The National Association of Social Workers.