By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
Placing a child in foster care is a tough transition for everyone, but putting a Jewish children in Jewish families, where they can be around basic rituals such as lighting Shabbat candles or attending synagogue can be the anchor they need when their world has been turned upside down.
Integrating a child into an unfamiliar home for a relatively short but unknown amount of time — which is usually the case in foster care arrangements — takes a special kind of family. It’s the kind that Carol Mullin, director of Emergency Services at Jewish Family Service, is always looking to recruit.
JFS, in partnership with Medina Children’s Services, is stepping up its efforts to match Jewish children to Jewish homes so they can maintain their identity and confidence while going through the challenging times that lie ahead for them. JFS has been commemorating Foster Care Awareness Month during May.
“If a child is used to observing Shabbat and goes home and Friday night there’s no candles lit, that could be very disturbing,” said Mullen. “Or, if a child is not used to celebrating Christmas, for example, and they walk into the living room and there’s a Christmas tree there, that could also be disturbing for a child — especially a child that’s been in crisis.”
Medina Children’s Services, another privately licensed agency, has contracted with JFS for the last 18 years. When they see a Jewish child in need of foster care, they work with JFS to find a Jewish family. Medina, which is primarily a permanent adoption agency, completes the complicated licensing process by overseeing the family training and conducting the home study.
Medina also provides a variety of programs for children, families and expecting mothers, including foster care. They have been providing services in the Puget Sound since 1921. While they are non-denominational in their approach, they are happy to help JFS help Jewish children.
“By and large, most children that come through the foster care system aren’t matched by religion,” said Janet Hedgepath, the Social Services director at Medina. “They don’t come from a home where there was a strong religious background. It’s more the unusual circumstance.”
Hedgepath said that in her 25 years working with children and families, she hasn’t seen many Jewish families, which she views as a credit to the religion.
“Certainly, for a child that has a strong religious background, that’s an important part of their life and it needs to be a consideration,” said Hedgepath. “Sometimes we can’t match into a home where there’s the same religious practice but at least the family is willing to say that they will observe that. We will try to make sure the child keeps those connections because that’s one of the things the children hold onto.”
Hedgepath says that the state usually collects information on children that come into foster care. Foster care agencies then use the personal information given to them by the state to place the child. She has seen a child’s faith carry him or her through all of the changes.
“I’ve seen that it has helped give kids a resiliency and a sense and a belief that they’re worthwhile,” said Hedgepath. “If that’s promoted, it is something they can carry with them and that they can use to move past difficulty. It gives them a lot of strength.”
Finding good temporary homes for children is made easier by the inclusive definition of family used by both agencies. Single men and women, homosexual singles or couples and two-parent heterosexual couples are all candidates for foster care licensing. There is no income requirement.
“Our definition of family is pretty broad, the idea being more to include people rather than exclude people. People don’t have to be a certain income or age,” Hedgepath said.
According to Department of Social and Health Services statistics, over 8,089 children are currently in Washington’s foster care system. Although DSHS projects that figure will decrease to 8,030 in 2005, both Mullen and Hedgepath believe the complicated licensing process keeps some away from becoming foster homes.
“It’s a very intensive interview that’s done with the household, where each element regarding their parenting is looked at,” said Mullen. “We also want information about the household’s level of observance.”
Once a family is pre-screened by JFS, they must go on to Medina and complete the licensing process with them.
“Once an applicant is initially screened, they must attend a 30-hour training with DSHS,” said Hedgepath. “Then we do a home study that qualifies all of our families for adoption, and that’s $1,000. All of our families are also foster-licensed so that they can receive a child from the foster care system, but our goal in placement is that the child will be adopted when legally free.”
According to Mullen, there have been 10 situations in which Jewish children were in crisis during the last three to four years, but in each case the problems were resolved.
Medical and psychological problems as well as drug and alcohol problems, where one or both parents are not able to care for their child, account for most of the emergency child care needs in the Jewish community.
“Many of the children who wind up in foster care are children with special needs,” said Mullen. “Maybe a child has had some behavioral problems in school and a single parent is having difficulty managing that child.”
Foster families are eligible for medical and mental health care coupons from the state. They also get a monthly stipend of between $300 and $400 a month, depending on the severity of the child’s needs.
“Basically we’re looking for a commitment to the process because a lot of the children who need foster care have special needs and are from very complicated social situations,” Mullen said.