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May is National Foster Care Month!
Senior Family Services Specialist Sue Karyshyn
To be eligible to become a foster parent in Henrico County, you must be at least 21 years of age, have ample space in your home that is safe and welcoming, have stable and adequate income, be in good physical and mental health, pass national criminal background and Child Protective Services checks, as well as obtain references, complete a 10 week pre-service training and participate in the mutual family assessment process. This includes three home visits, during which applicants and Henrico Department of Social Services determine whether or not fostering is right for their family.
Employees of Henrico County make up some of our best foster parents. Officer A.D. Smith is a Police Officer with Henrico County. He and his wife saw a true need in their community for foster parents. They reached a point in their lives where they wanted to give back and had the resources, desire and love to give to a child in need. Having two biological children already made this a family undertaking so they consider themselves not just “foster parents” but a “foster family.” Officer Smith’s family chose to foster through Henrico County because they call Henrico home. They wanted to focus on children who live in their community. They knew that Henrico County’s program would give them continued support in parenting children who have been through trauma. Children in foster care have all experienced trauma because having to leave one’s family of origin as a child, is in itself, traumatic. Providing a safe home environment and exposure to healthy relationships can change the trajectory of a child’s life. Foster parents build relationships with children and their families to provide that much needed support that parents whose children are in foster care don’t have. Foster parents grow their family not only with the addition of a child, but the child’s family as well. There is no limit to the number of caring adults children can have in their lives. Foster parents are part of a professional team that works together to attain permanency for children, whether that be a return to their parent or prior custodian, placement with relatives or adoption.
Officer A.D. Smith and his family.
If you are interested in learning more, you may call Sue Karyshyn, Foster Family Coordinator, at 501-4011 or by email. There is an upcoming informational session that explains Henrico County’s foster family program. It will be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. on the second floor of the Human Services Building, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive. No registration is required.
To A.D. Smith, the best part of being a foster family is making a difference in a child’s life. “When you see a child in your care achieve something new, reach a milestone or overcome a previous struggle, it is truly more gratifying than anything you could accomplish yourself.”