WHEN DOES A FOSTER PARENT or CASA HELP?
In talking about the child-serving system in our county we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about Foster Parents. The Amani Center has worked with many amazing foster parents over the years and provides supports for foster parents that are caregivers for children receiving our services.
If a Safety Service Provider is not available or if Mom was not willing or able to do what was needed to keep Asher safe, there is a possibility that Law Enforcement or Child Welfare may have to make other choices to ensure Asher’s safety. This could mean that Asher would be removed and placed in a foster home. This would be a very different story than what has been presented for Asher.
At this point, if foster care is necessary, the court system would become involved and a Court Appointed Special Advocate is assigned on the child's behalf. CASA's have huge hearts for the children we serve and are fantastic partners to our agency.
We are incredibly grateful for the foster parents and CASAs in our county. Some of our Amani Center staff even have experience in each of these roles in our community.
If you're interested in learning more about Foster Care opportunities in Columbia County, you can reach out to us and we'll connect you to the appropriate resources. Here is more info on that: https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/CHILDREN/FOSTERCARE/Pages/become-fosterparent.aspx
To support foster families in Columbia County:
https://everychildoregon.org/nworegon/
To learn more about CASA:
https://www.casahelpskids.org/
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