Jamie became a foster parent to change the lives of West Virginia children. She requested to foster one child and shortly, three teenagers were placed in her home. Rising to the challenge, she became a wonderful parent. Two years later, when they became available for adoption, Jamie decided to adopt all three. Two weeks before the adoption, one of the teens became nervous and made a false allegation about Jamie. CPS policy states that when allegations are not sexual or involve severe physical abuse, children can remain in the home during the investigation. However, the CPS worker removed the three teens “just in case.” Jamie had to explain to friends and family why the children she was about to adopt were no longer with her family. After six months the investigation determined the allegations were unfounded, but Jamie was told that the teens had been with their new foster family too long and would not be returned to her home. Jamie’s grief for the loss of the children was met with suspicion by workers and the three teens turned 18 without being adopted.

Officials involved in West Virginia’s foster care system regularly cite the need for more foster homes as a major challenge. While recruiting new foster families is one way many are approaching the foster home shortage, a key factor is retention of existing foster homes. Foster parents who feel valued and have a voice in decisions impacting their families often recruit others to become foster parents. Unfortunately, many families do not feel heard or valued and share their frustrations with others, making them less likely to foster.

Why does West Virginia have so few foster homes? The answer lies in foster parent retention. Foster parents stop fostering for a variety of reasons including adoption, changes in life circumstances, or age; however, far too many foster parents stop because the needs of the children in their home are not being met by the system. Requests for assistance are either ignored or responded to with suspicion and distrust. Foster parents are expected to be “superheroes” as called for in advertising, but often receive little meaningful assistance. The lack of access to community-based services for children and wait lists for existing services often increase stress on the foster family and make adjustment difficult for the child.

Additionally, despite being the primary caregiver for the children in their home, foster parents are virtually ignored throughout the court process. Despite federal law guaranteeing foster parents a right to be heard, in many counties foster parents are not given an opportunity to share their observations with the court. When foster parents do speak up to share a concern or advocate for children in their home, they are often seen as biased and risk retaliation. Guardians ad litem (GALs) are attorneys appointed to represent children in foster care. GAL recommendations are given considerable weight in court, but GALs often have not recently met with the children they represent, leaving the children without effective protection of their legal rights.

Research indicates that the most beneficial setting for children is a family setting. However, West Virginia’s child welfare system routinely treats foster families as “beds”, rather than families. Even DHHR policy puts foster families and group homes in the same category. Group homes and foster families are very different settings — one is a family and home, the other is a facility with rotating staff — they should not be treated the same way. However, foster families are often expected to manage stress and handle child behaviors as though they are group homes with rotating staff who are paid a salary rather than as families, with other children and only one or two parents in the home.

To further compound this situation, there are foster homes that have been waiting months for foster children. However, because our placement process is fragmented and lacks a centralized database of open foster homes, children often end up being placed in group homes and shelters instead foster families.

There are steps the state could take to address the needs and make it easier to recruit and retain foster families. A change in policy to reflect that foster parents are valuable partners in caring for children and ensuring they are provided with resources and services would help tremendously. Peer support provided by experienced foster parents would help foster families navigate the system and find answers to questions when workers are unavailable or when families feel uncomfortable reaching out due to fear of retaliation. A centralized database would help identify available foster homes and would assist in placement while informing needs in recruitment and training. Finally, ensuring that foster parents are included in all meetings and given a voice in the court process is paramount to addressing the needs of our most vulnerable children.

The nearly 500 members of the West Virginia Foster, Adoptive, & Kinship Parents Network are working to provide peer support and elevate the voices of foster parents. We look forward to partnering with DHHR, the courts, private foster care providers, and others to strengthen our child welfare system. Our experience tells us that caring for children in the foster care system is worth the effort, worth the challenges, and worth the time of dealing with the system. We will continue to love and support the children while working to improve the system.

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Zackery Cruze is a city councilor for the city of Morgantown, foster parent, and member of the WV Foster, Adoptive, & Kinship Parents Network

Stacy Jacques is a foster-adoptive mother, former Guardian ad Litem, former CASA volunteer, and member of the WV Foster, Adoptive, & Kinship Parents Network.

Marissa Sanders is a foster-adoptive mother and the Director of the WV Foster, Adoptive, & Kinship Parents Network.