Imagine a scenario where three children are taken into custody of the state and need placement in a foster home. The children are ages 5, 2 and 6 months.
It is late in the afternoon and the worker has been calling for placements for a few hours, while the children wait with her at the Department of Health and Human Resources office where she works. Due to the ongoing shortage of foster families, she has been unable to find a family with availability for three children.
Finally, an agency worker calls back. There is certified foster home with parents who might be a good fit, if some logistics can be worked out. This placement would mean not having to split up the very young siblings across more than one home.
The family just completed foster certification in the last year. They are certified for up to four children but so far have just had one sibling group of two, a 5- and 6-year old who shared a bedroom with two twin beds. The family is willing to take the three siblings, but they will need some help preparing the bedrooms.
They already have car seats and booster seats, some toys, kid-friendly snacks, and extra toothbrushes. What they do not have is a crib and a toddler bed, or twin bed rail, for the 2-year-old.
They need to leave work early, meet the social worker, pick up the kids and come up with a child-friendly dinner, while also securing items necessary for at least the next 24 hours. The foster dad heads to meet with the worker while the foster mom heads to a local store for essentials, like diapers, bottles and formula.
She worries about finding the other needed items on such short notice. Luckily, there is a local church that operates a foster closet nearby and a foster parent friend offers to contact it for her.
West Virginia has approximately 20 foster closets throughout the state, with new ones opening regularly. “Foster closet” is the commonly used term to describe a site where donations may be collected and distributed.
In this case, “foster” is a catchall term that generally means it serves children in the foster care system. However, the sites can generally be accessed by not just foster parents but relative and kinship caregivers as well. “Closet” refers to more than just clothing.
Foster closets generally have a wide range of items including clothing, baby equipment, hygiene items, beds, bedding, luggage, car seats and other items needed by families. They are commonly located in churches or other donated space and are almost always run by volunteers. Foster closets may be seen as a more formal extension of what parents and foster parents have always done — share and pass around clothing and baby items informally.
It is common for a family expecting a new baby to have a baby shower and receive help from their friends and family. There is not an equivalent practice for foster families, who often don’t know the ages of the children that they will parent. Foster closets allow foster parents and relatives to receive free items to meet specific needs and to share and recycle items when they’re no longer needed.
Although foster families must do a moderate degree of preparation before they can be certified, it can be difficult to anticipate age, gender and the number of children who will be in their care. This may be further complicated when families accept emergency placements, with more children or different ages than they anticipated.
Foster closet practices will vary based on each individual site. Some are open on specific days and times while others take appointments. Generally they may be accessed by foster parents, by relatives caring for youth in foster care and possibly other families in need. Some may even offer special events, such as a back-to-school event with free haircuts and gift cards for new shoes.
For those wishing to donate to a foster closet, it’s always best to check with the specific site. They may have certain needs based on time of year (school supplies, Halloween costumes) or community need.
In general, closets may accept donations of the following: children’s clothing, cribs, bassinets, beds, mattresses, pack and plays, baby seats, strollers, highchairs, other baby equipment, new packages of socks and underwear, backpacks or duffle bags, hygiene items, diapers/wipes, unexpired car seats or booster seats or any other gently used items for children. Other useful items (check with your local foster closet first) could be shelving, clothing racks, plastic totes, clothes hangers or other storage or organizational items. Gift cards for food are always helpful (provide dinner for a family with a new placement). Foster closets can also likely benefit from people willing to donate their time: to sort donations, for help with operations or possibly to make deliveries.
When a family is settling new kids into their home, foster closets allow the family to focus their energy on the children versus making multiple trips to get supplies. They ensure that items, especially those only needed for short periods, can be used by multiple families. Foster closets also allow relative and kinship providers to stretch limited resources.
In our hypothetical scenario, the foster mother’s friend contacts a foster closet, secures donations and bring them to her friend’s home. The foster closet provides a crib and mattress, a twin bed rail, a few items of clothing (including pajamas) for each child. These donations allow a family to take in an unexpected sibling group, the children to feel more settled, and the family to feel taken care of by their community.
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August 29, 2021 at 06:30AM
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Kids in Care: Foster closets help fill needs for families caring for - Charleston Gazette-Mail
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