My City November 2022

MYSTORY

To Change a Child’s Life T he thought of becoming a foster parent or adopting a child can be intimidating.There is no real way to know what may come your way but by taking the first step, you truly could become the hero you have always dreamed of being and, more impor tantly, you could change a young person’s life

must be surrendered or terminated, which can take a lot of time. Don’t give up!” If you stick with the process, something great will happen for your family and for the child placed in your home. In the U.S., an estimated 437,000 children are in foster care with 69,000 living in group homes, and at any point in time, approximately 1.5 million children are waiting to be adopted. That ’s 1.5 million kids without families, without support, without love and without hope. Fostering or adopting takes a lot of commitment but the result, as stated by Cody Delorenzo, can be the best thing in the world. “You are giving a child a second chance at hope,” says Williams. “To see kids open up to the idea that they can be liked and loved is one of the best things you will ever see. You never know – the first time a child will experience Christmas may be with you, in your home. They will remember what you have done for them and the traditions you hand down. You are changing a child’s life forever.” u To start your journey toward being a foster parent to a child in need, call 855-MICHKIDS, or visit michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child serv/foster-care. “To see kids open up to the idea that they can be liked and loved is one of the best things you will ever see.” Mindy Williams

“The first trauma is the removal from their family and that reoccurs each time they are moved from one family to another. It ’s common for kids to have been in 10 12 different places before they arrive at Whaley. Always remember that what they have experienced is never their fault. The behavior of some children is not going to be perfect. You have to learn to go with the flow and with learned coping skills, adjust to them and work with them.” The next step toward licensure is to pass an on-site home evaluation. The agen cy you selected will meet with your family several times in your home for interviews. Once your license is activated, you may re ceive your first child placement in a matter of days. Adoption can be the next step if desired, and comes with its own set of hurdles. “There will be a lot of red tape and hoops to jump through,” adds Williams, “and the rights of the biological parents

for the better. So, where do you start? “The first thing to do is contact the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and inquire about foster parent training,” explains Mindy Williams, President & CEO of Whaley Children’s Center. “They can walk you through what you need to do and get you in touch with other organizations to start the licensing process for your home.”The next step is to attend an orientation and complete the license application. Potential foster parents must then complete 20-25 hours of train ing. “Every foster child has experienced their own level of trauma,” adds Williams.

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