skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Foster Care Month: Rewards, Struggles of Helping Kids in Crisis

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 10, 2018   

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On any given day, more than 16,000 children are in the foster care system in Ohio. And during Foster Care Month in May, the thousands of Ohioans who open their hearts and homes to kids in crisis are being celebrated.

As a foster parent in Montgomery County, Michelle Tedford said it takes dedication, patience and lots of love to provide safety and stability for a child whose world is in disarray.

"You also get to share some really exciting things with them, like learning to climb a tree or discovering what their favorite food is,” Tedford said. “Some of these kids have had very limited opportunities in the past and you get to open up the world for them and let them explore and figure out what it is that they love and that they want to do with their lives."

In Ohio, there are about 7,200 licensed foster homes. State data shows a 23 percent increase in the number of children coming into foster care since 2013, which is nearly 3,000 more children.

Ginny Hegwood is a foster parent in New Carlisle. She said besides helping a child adjust to their new circumstances, foster parents also must respect the role of the child's family. She said she still has a relationship with the father of a foster child who wanted some mentoring.

"Even though she's been back with him for several months now, he'll still call periodically or I'll pick her up periodically," Hegwood said. "And so he doesn't feel like he's been left out in the cold, because these kids change when they're in placement."

She added that while fostering is a rewarding experience, it also has unique challenges.

"I can't tell you how many times I've just cried my eyes out, asking God why he wants me to do this,” Hegwood said. “There definitely needs to be some sensitivity to the fact that when you're raising somebody else's children, you're going to have challenges that people don't understand."

Fostering situations can end in family reunification, adoption by a foster family, or adoption by a relative. Whatever the outcome, Tedford said a safe, permanent home should be found as quickly as possible.

"They are so aware of their precarious situation and that at any moment they could be moved again and their whole world could be shifted,” she said. “And the sooner that we can get them into permanency, the sooner that they can just relax, and then continue to heal, and then continue to grow as individuals."

Recently, an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services advisory group submitted recommendations to the Legislature on how to improve foster parent recruitment and retention in Ohio. Anyone interested in learning more about fostering can contact their county children's services agency.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021