Foster Care Parents Needed As Children Entering System Continues to Rise

By Angela Gartner

OhioGuidestone. “This number is continuing to rise and has become a definite problem for foster families and agencies. The need to find these children homes is so high.”

For Summit County Children Services, they are finding children who enter into the system, are not transitioning out, in fact, have risen.

“Since the opioid epidemic and then the pandemic with mental health crisis we’ve seen less engaged parents in services and visitation to safely reunify with their children,” says Ann Ream, department director of community relations and foster care for Summit County Children Services. “We finalized 85 adoptions last year. Which is wonderful in creating so many new forever families. However, we still have the same number of children in our permanent custody, as unfortunately it’s just a trend that is not stopping. Often, we see that when one of our foster families adopts a children or sibling group they then find their family complete and close their home to foster more children. So it creates more need for foster homes for us.”

While there’s a need to help children, families who might be interested in foster care, might not know where to begin. In fact, according to Edelbrock, some common myths about foster care are foster care parents do this for the money, they have to own their own homes, and must be a married, hetrosexual couple to foster, which all are untrue.

“Some things that potential foster parents need to know is that you do not need any type of parenting experience to become a caregiver,” she says. “There is a preservice training to help you understand the process, and just like any other parent, it’s a learning curve. While so many agencies like OhioGuidestone have tried to raise awareness about the cycle of child abuse and help educate families, so that abuse does not occur, it is still happening, and therefore there is still a need for loving homes, educated caregivers, and trauma informed care.”

Ream adds, “these children need care, a stable home and most importantly, a family. Families in our community served by Summit County Children’s Services have complex challenges and foster parents can forever make an enormous difference in the life of a child.”

Summit County Children Services (SCCS) needs foster families to care for children of all ages, but especially infants, sibling groups, and teenagers. We need families who will love and care for children as their own and support the primary families while they work to address their challenges so that the children can reunify safely to their home.

There are more than 850 children in the custody and care of SCCS. At SCCS, we believe every child deserves safety, stability, and a family. We work closely with our foster families to provide the support they need to promote the best interests of all children and families we serve. Foster families are an essential part of our team and are the reason so many children are loved. They truly make a last impact in the lives of so many.

Be the Reason Children areBecomeSafe! a Foster Parent.

Brad and Ashley Eplin have been licensed foster parents for Summit County Children Services (SCCS) for over three years. The Eplin’s have three biological sons and a two-year-old girl who they plan to adopt this year. Currently, the Eplins have placement of a one-year-old child in foster care who has been with them since birth. Over the past three years, the Eplin family has treated the biological parents of these children with warmth and respect which they demonstrate in every interaction.

Brad and Ashley became foster parents to give children a loving home and stability. They had considered fostering as they have a cousin who fosters, so they went to an informational meeting and did their research. The Eplin’s shared that “learning to love others and serve, even if it is for a short time, can still make a big impact.”

The Eplin’s SCCS Foster Home Coordinator Amy Peresta commented, “It has been a joy to work with the Eplin family! I have seen the support they give to the biological parents, letting them know they care about them. They are truly a wonderful family, and we are fortunate to have them as a part of our team.”