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November is National Adoption & Foster Care Month. If you have ever considered opening your heart and home to a child who needs special care while waiting on parents or relatives to be able to care for them or for children who are in need of new parents, this is the time to consider investigating the possibility.

According to Oklahoma's state Department of Human Services, the foster care system in our state and especially in Washington County is overflowing with children who are in need of families to take care of them while attempts at reunification with birth families occurs.

There are currently over 7000 children in foster care on a daily basis. In Washington County, 65% of children in foster care are being placed in other counties due to a lack of homes nearby their original home, causing difficulties for caseworkers to service the needs of the child and to facilitate reunification with birth families. This can also impact siblings who must be separated into different homes. It disrupts educational and medical components of the child's life as well.

A family who is financially stable, living in a safe and clean environment, and who can provide physical space and emotional suuport to the child as reunification attempts occur can be approved for foster care in as little as a few months. A home study and 27 hours of training taught over a three-day period is required.

If you are interested in becoming a foster family, contact OKDHS at 1-800-376-9729. For general information or the forms required to apply for designation as a foster family, go to https://okfosters.org.