Ottawa County is in urgent need of more foster homes

OAK HARBOR - The need for foster homes in Ottawa County is so urgent that staff from the Ottawa County Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS) said that children who were removed from their families spent a night in the DJFS office four times in the past year. The children slept on cots or in portable cribs and were cared for by DJFS staff, who spent the night at work to protect and comfort the kids.

“We’re not built for that,” said Stephanie Kowal, Ottawa County DJFS director. “Everyone that works here is here because they love what they do, and we bring toys and books to try to make it homey, but it’s not a bedroom.”

There are 25 children under the care of Ottawa County DJFS, which is a decrease from 2020, when there were 64 children.

“We had 50 in one month. It was a really tough year,” Kowal said.

Placing children with relatives has helped

A focus on finding relative placement that began in 2017 helped decrease the numbers.

“One thing we’re really proud of is we started making a concentrated effort to find family members,” Kowal said. “About 11 of the 25 children are in relative placement. That could be a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or even a Sunday School teacher they have a relationship with. It doesn’t have to be a blood relative.”

Even with the decrease in the number of children in DJFS care, the need for foster homes is still critical.

DJFS has one licensed foster care home in the county, and it relies on a limited number of network homes connected through private foster care agencies. There is an ever-pressing possibility that a child will be removed from a home and have nowhere to stay but the DJFS office.

“We need people who are willing to do this,” Kowal said. “In a perfect world, I’d like two or three per school district. When a kid has to leave home and can’t see their parents every day, if we can keep them in the same school district, that’s one less trauma for them.”

DJFS is looking for adults willing to open their doors to a child whose life has been turned upside-down.

More foster homes needed with adults able to adjust quickly

“We’re looking for people who are openminded and able to adjust on the fly. These kids come with significant trauma, and the foster parent becomes their safety and security,” Kowal said. “You don’t have to have a super gigantic house. It just needs to be a safe place for kids to sleep. We’re not looking for perfect parents or perfect homes, just someone willing to listen and help kids where they are.”

Janine Sanders, administrator for the Child/Adult Protective Services division of DJFS, said the process to license a foster home takes about six months.

“When we get inquiries, we do a family assessment, background checks and a home study. Foster parents go through online in-service training,” Sanders said.

The training gives foster parents the tools they need to succeed.

Training helps foster parents 'know what to expect'

“We’re here to help. That’s what the training is for, so they know what to expect,” Kowal said.

DJFS staff connect foster parents with children who fit their lifestyle.

“Families can say we only want teenagers or babies or sibling groups up to a certain size,” Kowal said. “Some sign up to be a respite home. They care for children for just a week or two at a time if the foster parents are on vacation or there’s an emergency situation.”

Foster parents occasionally ask to coparent with a mother or father who is struggling with addiction or mental health issues and needs time to get their lives back together.

“Sometimes, that’s the part a foster parent wants to play. They want to help the parent,” Kowal said. “It lets the parent focus on what they need to address. Maybe it’s sobriety. That’s hard work, and this lets them get grounded without worrying about the child.”

For more information on becoming a foster parent in Ottawa County, call Social Services Worker 3, Skylyn Baker, at 419-707-8658 or visit the Ohio foster care website at fosterandadopt.jfs.ohio.gov.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at  sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Ottawa County family services pulled 50 children in one month