Castle Country Radio has selected Utah Foster Care as May’s Charity of the Month. For the duration of the month, the radio station showcases a local non-profit organization to bring awareness to listeners of the wonderful services that the agency offers. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Area Representative, Kobi Prettyman to discuss all things Foster Care.

“Utah Foster Care is a private non-profit organization that was founded over 21 years ago when there was recognition that we needed to do something to recruit and support families that are caring for children that come into foster care. So our primary responsibilities are to find families that are willing to take the children, to train them so they are prepared for what they are going to be doing and what to expect from the children and to support them on their journey,” stated Prettyman. The foster care organization offers newly established foster parents with a mentoring program that helps to prepare them and educate them on what to expect when fostering a child.

The Utah Foster Care program works closely with DCFS when it comes to the placement of a child. “They always place with a relative or a family friend of the families first because they want to have as much consistency and least amount of trauma for the children as much as possible. So if there is a relative that they are familiar with that is able and willing to take them, then they place there first,” said Prettyman. If DCFS is unable to place a child with a relative or family friend then they must look at other foster families to care for the child.

The non-profit organization is always looking for families who are willing to open their homes to children in need. “We need families for teens, but we also need families for little ones but we need families that are willing to take sibling groups. Just kind of everything and we always have families to that need what we call, respite. Which where they have an emergency, or going somewhere where they can’t take the children, or sometimes they just need to get away and so they would schedule a vacation and maybe the kids need to go somewhere else. So that would be short-term kinds of things. So if a family thinks that I can’t commit to this long-term but I may be able to take some kids on the weekends or something like that, we need families to do that as well,” explained Prettyman. There is currently a shortage of families willing to take on teens. Any individuals that would like to be a part of the Foster Care community can contact Prettyman at (435) 636-0210