There are currently more than 125 children in foster care in Onslow County and 48 of those youth are placed outside of our community. Some reasons for this include adolescents and teens being in need of a higher level of care such as a therapeutic placement, group home placement, or a residential treatment facility.
Another barrier that the Onslow County Department of Social Services is faced with is the lack of licensed family foster homes. Removing a child from his or her family is very traumatic and to lessen the impact it is imperative to be able to keep children within their community to maintain their connections with their family, school, peers, and community support network.
Kari Sanders, Director of Onslow County Department of Social Services, says foster children deserve to be supported and remain within their community. “Fostering can be the hardest job you will ever love. Foster parents are critical to ensuring children are provided a safe and caring environment so that they can remain connected to their family and community. This strengthens their ability to heal and helps provide what they need to thrive. Please consider making a difference in the lives of children in our community.”
Onslow County Department of Social Services currently has 54 licensed foster homes, not meeting the needs required to keep every child inside our county. Foster parents not only provide for the needs of the child but also serve as an important member of the Department of Social Services’ support delivery team. Through this partnership foster families are able to mentor and engage in shared parenting with the child’s birth family and work with the agency to help facilitate reunification of the child with their family.
In an effort to recruit more foster families the Onslow County Department of Social Services is hosting an informational Foster Parent Roundup, geared towards teaching those interested in learning more about how to become a foster parent. This meeting will take place on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the Consolidated Human Services Building located at 612 College Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540 from 5:30-7PM. For more information about Foster Care or to RSVP for this meeting call 910 219-1956.
