Need for nurturing

Leilani Johnson is foster care licensor for Franklin County.

Foster parents bridge gap for children in need

Story by ALISON JAMES Photos CONTRIBUTED

Amy McCollum celebrates friend Faith Hill’s adoption of three siblings from foster care: Isac, Sadie and Daniel.

More than 6,000.

More than 600.

That’s the approximate number of children in foster care and the average number of days spent in foster care in Alabama, respectively.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, shining a light on the system that connects loving families with children who have been removed from their homes by the Department of Human Resources, for any number of reasons. It’s a reality Leilani Johnson has seen firsthand from multiple angles, as a former

Faith and Brad Hill are still in touch with former foster children, including their most recent little girl, who they see every other weekend.

DHR investigator and current foster home licensor for Franklin County.

In her role, she sees the pressing need for dedicated foster parents. “This morning alone I’ve received three emails from across the state looking for placements for foster children,” Johnson said. “It’s a need throughout the state.”

The process that leads to a child entering the foster care system is probably familiar to most, at least in a general sense. When someone makes a report to DHR that a child is in any type of unsafe living conditions – whether that’s proximity to illicit substances, contact with an abusive caretaker or lack of minimal acceptable shelter and sanitation – DHR investigators step in to assess the risk of harm to the child. If DHR determines the child needs to be removed from the home, it will first work with parents to arrange for the child to go to a family member or neighbor.

If that isn’t possible, Johnson explained, that’s where the foster care system comes in to bridge the gap, with foster parents serving in a temporary role while the child’s primary guardians work to get their problems straightened out.

“We teach our foster parents, reunification is our No. 1 goal,” Johnson said. “We have to give those parents the opportunity to work toward getting their children back. That’s our No. 1 goal, always.”

That’s a reality some who consider foster parenting can’t accept. Foster mother Amy McCollum has heard it all before.

“People say ‘I couldn’t do it. I’d get too attached,’” said McCollum, who first connected with the foster care system in 2013. “You have to get attached. If you’re not attached to them, you’re not taking good care of them.”

McCollum, a teacher at Phil Campbell High School, became interested in fostering after seeing one of her students go through the experience of having her child placed in foster care. Remembering the ultimate goal – reunification – helps make it easier to bear the pain of saying goodbye to a child she has been fostering.

“That’s the goal for foster care: to rehabilitate the parents and get the parents back on their feet,” said McCollum, who has had 20 different children in her home for varying stints – 10 lengthy stays and 10 shorter stays. “You can’t go into foster care thinking you’re going to keep these kids. You can’t. You have to set it in your mind at the beginning that you’re just keeping them a little while, and you have to love them while you have them. Otherwise it’s a big heartbreak when they leave.”

McCollum was also inspired to be a foster parent by her friend, Faith Hill, who adopted three children out of the foster care system. Hill grew up watching her own parents serve foster children. She and husband Brad became foster parents to take on a pair of children her parents once fostered who had reentered the system. Since the Hills became foster parents in 2009, they have had 73 foster children in their home, of all ages.

“It’s a good feeling to just be able to make a difference in children’s lives when they need it most,” said Hill, practice manager at Russellville Animal Clinic. “There is such a big need … It could take just that one person to make the difference.”

The Hills had one biological son, Bentley, who was 3 when they began fostering.

They were expecting their parenting practice,” Johnson second child when they explained. Prospective foster learned they would have the parents will also undergo two opportunity to adopt the sib- home consults, ABI and FBI ling trio they were fostering at background checks and CPR the time. training.

In June 2011 the Hills had Single people are welcome accepted a foster placement to be foster parents, and for of two siblings, Isac and Sadie. married couples, both must When brother Daniel was born attend the training. Prospecin August 2011, it was love at tive foster parents must be 19 first sight, and they fostered or older, in good health and him as well. Two weeks after able to provide “a safe, comthey found out they were preg- fortable atmosphere for the nant, things fell through with child,” according to the Alathe siblings’ biological mother, bama DHR. and adoption was suddenly on Johnson said although more the table. “From then on, we foster homes are needed, she were a permanent family of focuses on quality over quanseven,” Hill said. tity, encouraging parents who

Even with five children of have a sincere desire to help their own – Isac, 15, Bentley, children. “Some people are in 14, Sadie, 13, Daniel, 9, and it for clout in the community Si, 8 – the Hills have contin- or a need they want to fill,” she ued to serve as foster parents, said. “I want quality people – with pretty much continuous people who really and truly placements. One of their most have a desire to help.” recent was a baby who came It’s also important for the to them straight from birth, entire family to be on board. who they kept for 16 months McCollum’s three daughters before she returned home. – Leah, Anna and Lara – en“It was hard. She thought we The Hills fostered a teen mother and her daughter for four couraged her to pursue the were Mama and Daddy,” Hill years, supporting them into an independent stable home life. foster parent path, and her said. The Hills developed a new husband Tim is workgood relationship with the baby’s mother, however, and “At the end of the day, somebody’s ing through the licensing process. McCollum and her ever since she left them in late 2020, they have still gotten to got to do it. Somebody’s got daughters just said goodbye to a pair of sisters who see her every other weekend. The family is now fostering to love these kids.” had been with them for almost a year, the youngest an 18-year-old who is a senior coming to them straight at Phil Campbell and a 19-year-old who is attending Northwest- from the hospital when she was born. “The key to it is, you Shoals Community College and works with Hill at Russellville Ani- need to develop a good relationship with the family because mal Clinic. Hill said teens can remain in the foster care system until you can be a great asset to the family too,” McCollum said. age 21, receiving help to have a strong transition into adulthood. “You can help them locate resources and things they might

And when these almost-adults leave her care, Hill will be ready need when the child goes back home to them.” Her family to welcome the next child in need. “There’s always more who recently traveled to Illinois to visit the sisters for the youngneed our help. At the end of the day, somebody’s got to do it. est’s first birthday party. Somebody’s got to love these kids.” McCollum said she always treats her foster children just like

Johnson said about 20 licensed foster homes are scattered they are hers, and the family makes an effort to create special across Franklin County – and they are nearly always full of memories together, from visiting Disney World to riding the train placements. In her role as a licensor, she teaches the 10-week at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum to meet Santa. training course for licensure and helps provide support to both Despite the challenge, McCollum said foster parenting has her foster families and biological families. She said Franklin County heart, and even in the pain of saying goodbye to a placement, she tries to offer at least two 10-week sessions per year to license will continue to help fill the ever-present need. those who are interested – one in the spring and one in the “What if I didn’t take those kids? Where would they have gone?” fall. “We train you to the best of our ability on trauma-informed she said. “They need someone who’s all in – who gets attached.”