The Utah Foster Care program is in need of foster parents in the area. They are looking for individuals and/or families that are willing to open up their homes to children in need. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Area Representative, Kobi Prettyman to speak about the Faces of Foster Care event which will take place online on Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 pm.
“Its going to be hosted in the Provo area. They have a great community partner up there that’s going to host the event. But we are going to have a Watch Party here locally, where people can come in and watch the event with us and then we would be available to answer questions and talk about the process and how everything works. If people are interested, they can watch the event virtually themselves as well, and all the information is on our website,” stated Prettyman. The Watch Party would be very beneficial to attend as there will be foster care officials available to answer questions and address any concerns that families may have. The Watch Party will be held at the Utah Foster Care Office at 475 West Price River Drive.
“So we do a variety of things, we try to find families, help them get the information they need to know if this decision is right for them, and then provide them with all the training that they might need to take on this journey, and then support them afterward through different programs that we have and supporting each other in this journey of providing children a safe home,” said Prettyman. The families will build strong relationships with the children, as well as with their families so that the children can return to their own homes.
Officials state that they are in need of homes in the Castle Country area and would like to see families open their homes up so that the kids in foster care can stay close to their family, friends and school. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough families in our area and when that happens, we have kids that have to move out into other areas. Historically, that has been less than ideal but adequate. Right now, we’re seeing statewide a decrease in foster families and people coming forward to be foster parents. So it’s not as easy for us to even find other foster families even outside our area now. So we really need to try to get families to step up in our area,” stated Prettyman. That is why events like the Faces of Foster Care Watch Party is a great way for families to come learn all they can about the Utah Foster Care Program.
If you have any questions about the Utah Foster Care Program you can call the local office at (435) 636-0210 or visit the Utah Foster Care Program website.