Office Moms & Dads Comfort Children as they Transition into Foster Care
There are more than 10,000 children in foster care in Washington State.* The goal of the foster care system is to reunify a child with his or her family, but there are many steps in this process. Innovative’s Supervised Visitation Program helps reunify families involved with the foster care system by providing a safe, neutral environment for them to visit. But long before they attempt to reunify, children must endure the stress of being placed into a foster home.
Being removed from the family home can be one of the most traumatic events in a child’s life. Office Moms and Dads is a nonprofit based here in Vancouver that assists children during what can be some of the most frightening times in their lives. When a child is taken into protective custody, they often must wait between three and five hours for a social worker to locate a foster home for them. That’s where Office Moms and Dads comes in. The volunteers occupy the children during this uncertain time, caring for their needs so that the social worker can focus on finding a foster parent for the child.
If you are interested, have some availability during weekdays, and can commit to serving one hour per month, click here to learn more!
*Source: Washington Foster Care and Adoption Guidelines. Retrieved from www.adoptuskids.org/adoption-and-foster-care/how-to-adopt-and-foster/state-information/washington