Open House at Library on Foster Families

Local child advocates Valerie Pike, Foster Parent Support specialist, and local foster parents will all be available to answer questions about how families or individuals become qualified to a foster parent.

Effingham County Health Department serves as a lead agency for the Healthworks program coordinating medical support for foster children and families in thirteen counties in southcentral and southeastern Illinois.

Judy Bierman, RN and ECHD Healthworks Coordinator shared: “We have seen 43% increase in foster children just within the past six months. There is a tremendous need for more foster families and support for these children in the community.”

Every year, thousands of foster families across Illinois provide a temporary safe haven for children who have been placed in DCFS care by local courts. DCFS strives to reunite children with their birth families, and nearly half of all foster children are reunified with their families within 12 months. When reunification simply is not possible, as determined by the courts, many foster families choose to adopt the children they have cared for.

Valerie Pike, DCFS Foster Family Parent Support Specialist, shared: “Like the Starfish Story, there always seems to be more we can be doing for children in our community. Make plans to come and learn more about how you can affect positive change for a child in our community.”