MANSFIELD — Strengthening families and focusing on their well-being is the key to building strong communities. Whether it’s promoting a collaborative relationship between birth parents and foster caregivers or providing parents with the right combination of supportive services to enable reunification, keeping families together is the primary goal in a successful child welfare system.
This May, National Foster Care Month recognizes that foster care must act as a support system for families, not a substitute for parents. Developing partnerships between local agencies, community organizations, and individuals within a family’s network is key to building a supportive foundation that supports reunification and preservation.
The goal of Richland County Children Services (RCCS) is always reunification. RCCS has on average 100 children in custody with close to 60 foster homes. Out of the 100 children, 30 percent of them are teenagers. Families are needed for all age children, but especially for older youth. The Agency currently only has two foster homes willing to care for teens.
RCCS encourages all individuals to invest in the lives of children and to provide them with unconditional love, support, guidance, and every available resource to ensure their health and well-being.
RCCS believes every child needs a permanent home. Many of our foster parents adopt the children who are placed with them. Others help children prepare for placement with an adoptive family or relative.
You can make a difference in a child’s life! If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, contact Richland County Children Services at 419-774-4100 or go to richlandcountychildrenservices.org.
