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the HERALD Friday July 19 Features Lack of foster parents in Georgetown a mystery By LISA The Herald For some unexphcable reason Georgetown has traditionally provided few foster homes for needy children said Halton Childrens Aid Society Foster Care Worker Kim Elliott Traditionally Georgetown has always been a difficult area to recruit foster parents and that hasnt seemed to change said Ms Elliott We do a lot of adver here but we just dont get the response She doesnt have any idea why but shes becoming more and more concerned that children in need of foster care in Georgetown have no safe place to go in their own community When a child has to leave their own family thats very dif said Ms Elliott When they have to leave their own com munity it makes it even harder for the foster child Unfortunately most foster children from Georgetown are taken away from everything familiar to them and moved to foster homes in Milton and Burlington because there are only three foster homes in Georgetown she explained All three of the homes are either for babies or young children so when an adolescent needs a home the person has no chance of staying in Georgetown Abused children need help In the playground at Park in Georgetown the kids playfully splash each other and chase after the frogs in the water Its this idyllic scene Hazel Ling rarely sees in her dealings with children as a front line worker with the Childrens Aid Society CAS Many of the children she sees dont tease each other they brutalize each other and they dont play with animals they tor ture them said Ms Ling As a family service worker whos job it is to conduct in vestigations into reports of physical and sexual abuse against children for the Halton CAS shes seen the results of what abuse can do to these children and admits they present a greater challenge to the CAS than in the past Our cases are getting more and more complex she said I only deal with kids and under but they seem to be ex periencing the problems and dif ficulties we used to see only in teenagers Along with children who exhibit bizarre behavior like hurting animals hurting themselves and eating their own feces she also sees young children who are men tally depressed and suicidal Its her job to investigate why these children exhibit such behavior and determine if they should be removed from their family home as a safety measure for all involved Our mandate is to protect the child said Ms Ling So the first person I talk to is the child and I explain that my job is to go around and talk to people who have been hurt The person who reported the alleged abuse relatives parents and siblings of the child are also interviewed and if all the evidence indicates the child may be being abused within the fami shell take the case to a family court judge and explain why under the provincial Child and Family Services Act the child would be safer in the protection of the CAS AIR CONDITIONERS Weve got them at the lowest prices in town GUARANTEED J GEOBGETOWN vnrt Hum Our mam goal is to keep the child with the family because it can be a lot more traumatic to move the child from the home in some circumstances she said But if Ive investigated Im the one who gets in trouble if that child is abused again Most of the children in CAS care are put into foster homes and Ms Ling admits that when prospective foster parents hear how some children behave they have second thoughts But Ms Ling said many of these disturbed children turn right around when in the care of a stable family Not all these children are hor monsters she said Many just need the stability structure and consistency of a loving fami ly and then theyll begin to behave She also stressed that foster parents arent required to accept children with behavior problems if they feel they couldnt cope As well the CAS offers extra train courses for parents who decide to accept a disturbed child into their home The few children who have severe problems are placed in a group home the closest one to North being Burlingtons Wood view The number of children coming I into care has drastically increas ed over last year Shockingly over ten times Acton which is a significantly smaller community than Georgetown has four foster homes which will take any aged child In all of Halton there are 81 foster homes Despite the difficulty she faces recruiting new foster parents in Georgetown Ms Elliott keeps trying believe the foster care system can benefit both the kids and their foster parents she said By looking after these kids foster parents are con tnbuting to their community She doesnt deny there are easier ways people can benefit their community When you decide to be a foster parent your own needs have to be secondary to the childs needs she said As well being a foster parent can often be emo tionally trying especially when after years of giving to the child the child returns to its natural parents said Ms Elliott Thats why separation and loss training is a big part of the orien tation CAS workers give new foster parents she said If youve put your heart and soul into a child its very hard for many people to see them go she said Sometimes the foster parents will never get a chance to see the child again if the childs legal guardians refuse to allow visitation It helps she said if parents remember foster care is a tern porary arrangement We aim to try and keep the family together said Ms Elliott We see foster care as a temporary arrangement while the family works out their pro blems We dont advise people to become foster parents if they hope to keep a child permanently because that rarely happens Everything is done to get the child back with its biological A young boy looks forward to the future when he can safely return home white In care of foster parents Photo submitted more children were removed from unsafe homes this year over last from four to 56 By the end of May this year the CAS had 142 children in care compared to only in all of Why are some children pro blems sosevere Why the incredible increase in CAS caseload It could be a number of things said Ms Ling They could be emulating violence on television they children could be more aware of their rights or it could be that children are no longer disciplined Personally Ms Ling things some parents are illprepared to cope with their kids and thats why some kids get out of control Some people dont give much thought to having kids and how to discipline them she said Ms Lings coworker at the Halton CAS Kim Elliott a Foster Care Worker believes the lack of family togetherness plays a role in creating family problems BASEBALL PLAYERS Unlimited Batting Cages Unlimited Golfing Range Unlimited MiniPutt ALL FOR PER DAY COUNTRY LANE Line River Rd Acini From Gaixottown Cour Before a couple can become foster parents they must take a six night training course where CAS workers interview parents and question their parenting and discipline techniques Parents are asked to provide a medical and financial statement references and are given a police check When a couple is approved they can decide if they want a boy or girl how many children bet ween one and four they can han dle the age range of the children and the types of behavior they feel they can deal with Whena child is placed with the couple they are told how long to expect the child to stay at their home whether it be a few days or a year said Ms Elliott While taking care of a child the foster parents receive per day and are reimbursed medical and dental expenses People shouldnt become foster parents for money Hopefully the perdiem rate pays for things like extra food and laundry expenses said Ms Elliott Anyone interested in learning more about the Halton Childrens Aid Society and how to become a foster parent can contact Kim Elliott at 8782375 or 8448211 Simon CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT Phone g 416 8770109 132MamStreetSouth Georgetown Ontario 5 J Say saw it in NOW OPEN I EVENINGS UNTIL 9 PM NEW BUSINESS HOURS SATURDAY 96 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