Pamela Watson doesn’t need hard statistics in front of her to know that there’s been an increase in the number of children who need foster care in Freeborn County. She has been a foster care licenser with the Freeborn County Department of Human Services for about five years now and has seen the upward trend in cases.

“We know that with the economic situation the way it is, some people who were able to provide for their children aren’t able to now,” said Watson. “We have a lot of people who are out of work and have other stressors, so they can’t take care of their children.”

This is why she’s encouraging anyone who’s ever thought about becoming a foster parent to reserve a spot at the next supper and support meeting, hosted by Freeborn County DHS, slated for Thursday.

According to Watson, there are currently 20 children in foster care under Freeborn County DHS.

She said 19 foster care homes are licensed through Freeborn County DHS and another four homes have been licensed to care specifically for children of relatives.

“We like to have more foster homes than we need to do the best to match the kids with the homes we have,” Watson said. “If someone says they want to care for 2- to 5-year-olds, their best match isn’t with a 15-year-old.”

Some homes licensed through the county are currently not active. Other homes provide care for more than one child. Both of these factors also play into the number of homes available for children who need foster care.

She said an additional nine homes in Freeborn County are licensed through private foster care agencies, such as Family Focus, Lutheran Social Services and PATH Alliance. These homes are typically more specialized for kids who need more than general case-type services, such as special education services and additional counseling.

“The county is usually the first place people look because general cases are usually involved through law enforcement, social services and the court system,” she said.

Watson said she does not send out mass mailings to try and recruit foster families, but talks with people one-on-one as they call.

“I see how serious they are about becoming foster parents, what’s sparked their interest, and then send them information,” she said.

Watson said those who wish to move ahead must go through a background check, which includes fingerprinting them into a system that’s reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Once those results come back, the application process continues.

“It’s rather lengthy,” she said. “We do home studies and interview everyone in their families.”

The interviews include questions about a family’s motivation, skills, preferences, lifestyle, past relationships and other children living in the home, just to name a few.

She said the supper and support meetings are a good way for people interested in becoming foster parents to learn more about the education, interaction and networking involved.

“We invite people with new interest to come to these meetings to see what it’s all about,” Watson said. “We talk about solutions to problems that parents have had.”

While these meetings aren’t mandatory, they do count toward hours needed in the licensing process. There are other mandatory classes required for people to take before becoming licensed foster care homes, depending upon the age of children that they’re interested in caring for.

People who want to provide foster care for children under 9 years old must take car seat training along with training about shaken baby syndrome and sudden infant death syndrome.

Mental health training, child abuse reporting and rules relating to laws of foster care are also areas of education required for people to become licensed foster care providers through DHS.

“I have gotten into home studies with people and realized they are not able to be good foster parents at this time,” she added. “But, I like them to come see it for themselves rather than me telling then that.”

In those instances, Watson said it’s usually a matter of getting these families more prepared in certain areas.

“Generally, their hearts are in the right place, but we want to make sure this is not detrimental to their home and their family life,” Watson said. “I don’t think families sometimes realize how hard this can be.”

The goal of foster care with Freeborn County DHS is to reunite children with their biological families. DHS is specifically looking for foster parents who can give the children the love and care they need, but then have the ability to let go if they have to.

“Sometimes you bring a child into your home, you fall in love with that child, and then they have to be reunited with their families,” she said. “That’s hard for some people to let go.”

Watson said that locals wishing to become foster care parents have most generally had to travel to surrounding communities, such as Owatonna and Rochester, to receive the mandatory class hours required to become foster parents. However, in September, Foster Adoptive Kinship Preservice Training will offer 12 three-hour sessions in Freeborn County.

Make a difference
What: Freeborn County DHS supper and support meeting
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Freeborn Room at the Freeborn County Courthouse
Sign up: Call Pamela Watson at 377-5469 to register in advance.