Info event set for March 3
•
The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services will host a Foster Parent Recruitment Event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, at the Jones County Sheriff’s Department Training Center (103 North 12th Ave., Laurel).
Mississippi has approximately 3,700 children in foster care across the state, with 126 in Jones County. With the surrounding counties of Jasper, Wayne, Perry, Forrest and Covington, that number increases to more than 360.
Attendees will learn more about the needs of foster children in their area, the requirements to become a foster parent, then hear from current foster parents and community leaders, such as Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin and Youth Court Judge Wayne Thompson.
“Our state has a great need for foster parents,” said Mary Grantham, Foster Parent Recruitment Specialist. “Please consider being a part of this time in a child's life and give them the safety they deserve."
When the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services cannot place children with a relative, a loving and committed foster family is needed. When children enter foster care, they lose their families, pets, belongings, connections and more, Grantham said.
“The goal is never to move them from their communities, but with approximately 3,700 children in care and less than 2,000 foster families statewide, we need more!” she said. “Our most significant need is for families that are willing to parent teenagers. Finding homes for our teenagers is one of the biggest challenges of the foster care system.
“If children do not find permanent connections before they leave care, they are at higher risk for incarceration, homelessness and human-trafficking. We need families who will walk along this journey with the children and biological families and give them hope. Foster parents can make a difference.”
To learn more, visit
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbHAnZyrZZOWua16wqikaKaVrMBwstGenJimlazAcLLOrKueql2lrrOxza2qZqaVmrGmsIyipWain6OytHnCqKynrKlkrrPAyJyjnpeTmYJ0fpFxbWaaZpmvbn2QnptmcGJsfm6xkp1tbXBnaLOjg8Rnn62lnA%3D%3D