Vol. 4, No. 2 • Spring 2000

Respect for Child Welfare in Gaston County
by Celisa Steele

Anna Martin and Debbie Baucom talk to each other on the phone almost every day. They're not best friends; they're not next-door neighbors; they're not even coworkers. Anna is a licensing worker at the Gaston County (North Carolina) Department of Social Services, and Debbie is a foster parent in the county.

Working Together
When asked to describe the foster parents' relationship with DSS and what makes it work, Debbie, secretary of the Gaston County Foster Parent Association (GCFPA) says, "I don't really know how to sum it up except for with the word respect. We acknowledge what a difficult job we have. And aiming to keep the best interests of each child first, we believe that we have to work together if we plan to accomplish things."

Mary Cook, foster care coordinator at the Gaston County DSS, also emphasizes the importance of respect and believes that respect for foster parents is shown by empowering them and then being open to whatever happens. "The foster parent association is a team member of this agency," she says--and that means involving the organization and its members and valuing their opinions, even when they do not coincide with those of DSS. In her 27 years of experience, the last 15 in foster care and adoption, Mary has seen times when the GCFPA was not as active as it is presently, and she stresses the benefits of having a concerned foster parent association. One real advantage to having a functioning foster parent association is the enhanced communication lines it opens up between DSS and foster parents.

For the Gaston County DSS, getting involved means both inviting foster parents to participate in its meetings and sending staff to the foster parent association meetings. For example, when DSS decided to launch a recruiting campaign, foster parents were invited to the team planning meetings, and their ideas and suggestions were taken into account--who better to know what would work when recruiting potential foster parents? Anna Martin acts as the official liaison between the Gaston County DSS and the GCFPA and attends all the GCFPA meetings and board meetings (thought she is not a voting member of the boar). And Anna is not the only one from DSS playing an active role in the foster parent organization, according to Debbie, "We have more DSS staff as associate members of our association this year than ever before. This number seems to increase annually."

For Anna and others in Gaston County, it is crucial for DSS and the foster parent association to work well together. DSS does what it can to help out with the GCFPA meetings. It provides child care and the meeting space for the association. At times, DSS staff members conduct the training component that the association is always sure to include as part of any meeting. (The training that occurs during the meetings helps foster parents accumulate the credit hours they need to be relicensed in North Carolina.) DSS hold an annual appreciation dinner for foster parents, and there is an annual picnic for foster parents and their children.

This street is not one way, however. The foster parent association has provided refreshments for DSS staff meetings, and the organization sponsors an annual brunch for the social workers.

Dr. Al Wentzy, director of the Gaston County DSS, strives to cultivate cooperation and a mutually supportive relationship between DSS and the foster parents. He takes on issues that are important to the foster parents. He has been active in trying to get the clothing allowance increased, and he is trying to add a third emergency home to the two already available in Gaston County so there will be fewer cases in which foster parents are asked to take a child with next to no notice. The Gaston County DSS has also been approved for a new position that will focus on recruitment of foster and adoptive parents.

As a sign of their solidarity with the DSS director, foster parents have publicly supported Dr. Wentzy by attending the county commissioner meetings.

What to Work On
David and Debbie Warren have been licensed for two years and have had children for the past 14 months. They currently have two children in their care: a two-and-a-half year old girl and a five-month-old boy. David and Debbie joined the Gaston County Foster Parent Association in March of 1999, and they were both elected as officers in October of 1999.

David says that a fraction of the approximately 35 members do the major work of the association. Debbie Baucom completely agrees, "Our biggest challenge is how to encourage more of our foster parents to step up and take a leadership role in our association." Few foster parents would argue that the work the foster parent association is important, but it can be hard to make the time to really commit to the organization. In addition to caring for their two foster children, Debbie and David both work full-time--sometimes 60 hours a week in David's case. But he still stresses the importance of making oneself available at any time; being a foster parent is a full-time job. David and his wife take their foster kids almost everywhere they need to go--doctors, daycare, etc. David believes this sort of work on their part frees the social worker up to focus on her work and get other things done.

Debbie Baucom echoes David's commitment to handle as much as is reasonable on his own. She says that when a foster comes to the association with a problem, the members assess the situation without turning immediately to DSS. "Our association made a conscious decision that it was important to us to work with the agency to accomplish its goals," Baucom says. "When a foster parent comes to us with a problem that affects many foster parents across the board or if it is an individual problem. If it is one that we feel affects many, we talk with someone at DSS about how we can find a solution. If it is an individual problem, we search for ways that our association can help that foster parent. In the four years I have been involved, the majority of issues that have been presented to us were things that the association itself could help with." This policy does not imply that the GCFPA feels it cannot turn to DSS; the foster parents in Gaston County have simply recognized that they are their own best resource and have tried to develop self-reliance.

The corollary to the GCFPA's concern for encouraging more foster parents to take leadership roles is DSS's concern for recruiting and retaining foster and adoptive parents. Anna martin says that Gaston County has been fortunate in that it has become a Families for Kids (FFK) county, and DSS was able to use some of the money it received from that initiative to launch a marketing program, complete with TV spots and brochures, geared towards recruiting foster and adoptive parents. Although the recruitment has gone well, Anna admits that retention is even more difficult than recruitment.

Dr. Wentzy also points to the FFK program as a major boost for their recruitment. He says that they average 60 to 65 licensed homes in the county, but they need at least 100 homes, which means they are constantly operating short about by 35 to 40 homes. The director's goal for the past two years has been to make up that deficit so that there would be licensed homes for all the kids who need foster care, but that goal has not been reached. Although it is impossible to stop the natural attrition--some new families begin to foster as other families stop--Dr. Wentzy is optimistic because a new position focusing on recruitment of adoptive and foster parents has been approved.

Some Words of Wisdom
Despite all that is going well in Gaston County, there is still room for growth and improvement. Debbie Baucom says, "I don't want to imply that there are never the typical grumbles about the agency among our foster parents. We all have the unreturned phone call from a caseworker that you desperately want to speak with; we all have days when we feel disillusioned and unappreciated and exhausted. But the key is that, by building a support system, when you have a day like that you can call another foster parent friend who will listen to you fuss, support you while you cry, and then, when the emotion subsides, help you regain your perspective."

When it comes to working with other foster parents or DSS, David Warren recommends being involved, positive, and patient while always persevering. Realizing that both the foster parents and the social workers serve the child's best interests and admitting that there will be frustrations for all involved can help everyone avoid pessimism and griping.

It is important to always try to see the other point of view. For DSS workers that may mean realizing that foster parents make an essential contribution to the child welfare system, and without much incentive. "We need to stop and remember that they're volunteers," says Dr. Wentzy. Foster parents aren't paid well; the financial support they receive is at best a partial offset of the expenses of fostering a child. "Sometimes it's unreasonable what we ask foster parents to do," he adds. But the foster parents, recognizing a child's welfare is at stake, often do even the unreasonable things asked of them. Dr. Wentzy concludes, "DSS cannot be successful without successful foster parents."

Debbie Baucom knows that foster parents have to make the effort to understand the DSS point of view just as surely as DSS must try to understand theirs: "I just think it is easy to stand back and criticize what others are doing, if you aren't the one having to carry their load. But if you take a second and try to put yourself in their shoes, sometimes you have a little more patience and a little more understanding."

There is no easy recipe for a perfect foster parent-DSS relationship. Debbie explains, "I think it is just like having any other good relationship, whether it be your spouse or a friend. You have to respect one another, always meet the other person more than half way, be understanding of shortcomings, and try to keep your eye on the goal."

Antagonism and animosity cannot be allowed. If one measures success by its only true standard, the welfare of the child, it becomes clear that there is only room for collaboration and teamwork between DSS and foster parents--and those in Gaston County, North Carolina have made plenty of room for both.

Sources: D. Baucom, personal communication, March 14, 2000. M. Cook, personal communication, March 21, 2000. A. Martin, personal communication, March 10, 2000. D. Warren, personal communication, March 14, 2000. A. Wentzy, personal communication, March 21, 2000.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families