LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 9-20-12

Foster heroes
Editor: Your columns on Foster Children and the problems with funding and finding foster parents is very valuable. As a retired Child Welfare worker I hope that you will cover the four different heroes who are involved in this very difficult work.
The first heroes are the Child Welfare field staff. There are two general responsibilities: the Intake and Emergency Response workers are the first responders who take the calls and then go into the field to interview the children and those taking care of them to determine if the child is safe and to arrange for services to prevent the child from having to leave the home if possible. Those with the other set of responsibilities are the workers who work with the family and children to make the home safe for the child to either stay in or return home.
The second heroes are the children who have faced sometimes unthinkable hardships in their short lives. They become heroes! when they can overcome their history and become responsible productive adults. It always surprised me how resilient these children are.
The third group is the parents of these children who choose to change their lives so they can become effective parents. Not all succeed, but those who do are certainly heroes too.
The fourth group is the foster parents who live with the children everyday. Not only do they live with children who have multiple problems, they more often than not have to supplement the inadequate stipend they receive.
All are heroes.
Jerry Newman
Sebastopol