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Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall 1999
Advocacy
Opportunity:
Shortage of Licensing
Workers Hurting North
Carolina Foster Children
North Carolina�s county departments of social services do not have
enough adoption/foster care licensing staff, and the shortage is hurting
kids. Due to the lack of licensing staff, we are seeing:
- insufficient
offerings of MAPP/GPS, the basic training for prospective foster/adoptive
parents,
- delays
in licensing approval,
- overuse
of existing licensed homes,
- marginally
appropriate or inappropriate placements for children,
- inadequate
supervision and support for foster/adoptive parents.
If this shortage continues, we are likely to see more foster parent
burnout and disruptions of foster care placements. Without licensing
staff to recruit, train, and license foster and adoptive homes, more
children will experience multiple placements and longer waits for adoption.
You can do something about this. Contact your representatives in the
North Carolina legislature and let them know how you feel about this
issue�urge them to increase the number of foster/adoption licensing
social workers during the next legislative session (May 2000). If you
are unsure who your representatives are, you can call the North Carolina
General Assembly at 919/733-4111 or visit their website.
In addition to speaking with your representatives yourself, you may
want to contact a local or statewide child advocacy group about this
issue. For example, the Covenant with North Carolina�s Children is a
multidisciplinary, statewide coalition advancing public policy to benefit
the children in North Carolina. The North Carolina Foster Parent Association
is a member of the Covenant. For more information, visit their website
, or contact lobbyist Paula Wolf at 919/834-6623, ext. 227.
North
Carolina foster care facts
- Children
in DSS custody/placement responsibility as of June 30, 1999: 11,234
- Kids
in �out-of-home� care: 7,882
- Number
of these in foster family homes: 4,457
Demographics
of children in custody/placement responsibility
Gender |
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Males:
5,777 |
Females:
5,457 |
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Age |
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Ages
0�5: 3,387 |
Ages
6�12: 4,127 |
Ages
13+: 3,720 |
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Race |
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White:
40.9% |
Black:
51.1% |
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Hispanic:
6% |
Native
Amer.: 1.4% |
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Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for
Families
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