GRINNELL — Iowa KidsNet, the statewide organization that recruits, trains, licenses and supports Iowa’s foster and adoptive families, will hold an information session in Grinnell from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 6 for individuals interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents.
Foster care is the temporary placement of children with families outside of their own home due to abuse, neglect or other family crisis situations. The goal is for loving families to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment until they can be reunified with their birth families or find permanency through other means, such as adoption. Iowa has a high need for more families to foster teens, sibling groups and children with special needs or behaviors.
As part of National Foster Care Month, this information session gives families a basic overview of the process involved in foster care and adoption and an understanding of the characteristics of children in the child welfare system. There is no obligation to continue in the process by attending.
Iowa KidsNet encourages all Iowa residents who can provide a stable home for a child to inquire, including single adults, married and unmarried couples, homeowners and renters. Foster families come from all sexual orientations and racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Iowa has a high need for more African-American, Latino and Native American families who can maintain and increase a youth’s connections to their cultural background.
To inquire online and see future session dates, visit www.iowakidsnet.com. Upon registering, families will receive the specific location of the session and an information packet to fill out before attending.