Orientations classes held at local DSS for interested foster parents.
Lumbee Tribe needs American Indians to volunteer.
Hoke and Robeson counties have notified the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina of the next orientation classes for potential persons who would like to become foster parents. Hoke County will hold a foster/adoptive parent orientation on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 pm at the Hoke County Department of Social Services (DSS).
Persons who would like to attend or need additional information regarding foster home licensing in Hoke County may contact Social Worker Ana Watson at 910.878.1989 or awatson@hokcounty.org. Hoke County DSS is located at 314 S. Magnolia Street in Raeford.
Robeson County DSS has scheduled the next two Foster Parent Orientations for June 24 and October 21. The meetings will be held at the OP Owens Agriculture Extension Center and will begin at 6 pm. The Extension Center is located at 455 Caton Road in Lumberton. Any interested persons can contact Debra Bailey or Samantha Locklear at 910.671.3770.
“The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and our community partners are dedicated to the health and well being of our youth,” states Tribal Chairman Purnell Swett. “This is just fantastic that these two counties are scheduling their orientation and MAPP classes at different times, so that interested Lumbee families have options. It’s really appreciated.”
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina noticed several years ago that local Department of Social Services did not have sufficient tribal homes or families to place Lumbee children in when they came into the foster care system. To address this concern the Health and Human Services Committee of the Lumbee Tribal Council along with Tribal Administration, the Division of Health and Human Services for North Carolina, the Jordan Institute at the UNC-Chapel Hill, and the local Department of Social Services for Robeson, Hoke, Scotland, and Cumberland counties, came together to form a Performance Team.
“This performance team has yielded many benefits, especially in the area of increased communication” states Interim Tribal Administrator Tammy Maynor. “While we still don’t have enough families in the foster care system, we have seen a rise over the last year, and with the continuance of this collaborative effort between the Tribe and our local DSS partners, I am hopeful that trend will continue,” she further states.
Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for abused, neglected and dependent children who need a safe place to live when parents or another relative cannot take care of them. When the county Department of Social Services believes a child is not safe, and a judge agrees, DSS takes custody of that child and finds a foster home. The length of stay in foster care varies, however, the foster family, DSS and the birth family work together to return the child(ren) to their own homes as quickly as possible.
The Lumbee Tribe is seeking American Indian foster families that are willing to become trained to care for abused and neglected Lumbee children. These families will become licensed to care for foster children temporarily once they complete a 30 hour Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP).
Red Path Child and Family Agency is another resource also available to tribal members who wish to become certified. Established in April 2009, the agency assists in child placement, provides counseling on independent living skills, parenting, anger management, individual, group and family therapy, as well as linking families to other professional and free resources.
“The above orientation classes are the informational sessions prior to these classes being offered,” said the Performance Team Facilitator, Alex Baker, “and we would encourage anyone who is interested in becoming a foster parent to please attend one of these orientation classes to find out more about becoming a foster parent.”
For more information about the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina’s efforts to recruit foster parents, or the Tribe’s need for additional foster parents within the system please contact Alex Baker at 910.522.2202 or by email at abaker@lumbeetribe.com. |
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