With about 10,000 children in foster care in the state of Florida, foster parents are sorely needed. Great effort has gone into recruiting good, loving homes for these children who — through no fault of their own — have been removed from all they are familiar with. These neglected and abused children can be strengthened and sustained when placed in a home where love and support exist.
To help retain and strengthen foster homes, Florida passed the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), which focuses on training those in foster settings to increase permanency, improve child safety, and focus on the overall well-being of foster children.
Community-Based Care Providers work with agencies to recruit, match, and license foster parents. They focus on the individuals – working hard to match the child with parents who will provide the best care for his/her unique needs.
In the first six months of this fiscal year, Florida’s Department of Children and Families, working with Community Based Care, have recruited a record number of foster homes. They have 687 homes to be exact. But the need is ever present, and the agencies are not slowing down. They continue to work hard to recruit good people. For more information on becoming a foster parent, contact the CBC in your state.
