There has always been a need for those willing to open their homes to children in tough situations. But as the opioid epidemic rages on, as well as the pandemic, and more and more children are entering foster situations with trauma, so too, grows the need for a special kind of foster parent.
Sarah Marek, a coordinator of residential services for Easterseals New Hampshire, works to help place children with foster families.
There are several families within the Monadnock region who are certified foster parents, Marek said, but none in the area have taken the extra steps needed to become what is known as Individual Service Option, or ISO, home. ISO homes go through extra training to support children who might need additional support – either medically, or because of a high level of trauma.
Marek said that leaves foster placement agencies with a hard choice – take the child out of their environment, where they may have some supports in place, to place them with a certified home in elsewhere in the state, or place them in a home that may not have all the training they need for that child’s situation.
Marek said numbers of children being placed in foster homes has dropped since the pandemic, as children have not been seen by teachers and other required reporters. Since numbers were trending upwards, Marek said its likely there are children falling through the cracks.
“If they’ve been exposed to domestic violence, substance misuse, alcoholism, they’re exposed to trauma. We need qualified individuals willing to take trainings and support these kids,” Marek said. “They may need therapy, medical needs that need to be addressed, or to visit parents who are incarcerated. We need families willing to work with these kids.”
ISO homes are required to have 48 hours worth of training – which is twice what is required for a general level foster home – every two years, but they also get additional supports, Marek said. They’re provided with family outreach services, a clinician, and regular check-ins throughout the week.
Lindsey Pincince of Derry and her husband originally applied to be a general level foster home. They took in one foster child, whom they eventually adopted. It was their second placement, a newborn, however, that opened their eyes to a greater need, and made them decide to step into the more involved role of a ISO foster home.
“I think that first experience opened out eyes, that this child needs more services, and we need more support,” Pincince said.
Pincince said she knows how scary taking on that level of commitment can be.
“It kind of scares you a bit. It’s been a roller coaster ride, but we say now that we’d never go back to being a generalized home. There’s a lot of time going into children with special needs, but for us, we want to offer the same opportunities to those children.”
Pincince said their second placement, their foster daughter, was discovered to have a lot of medical needs, so intensive that she quit her job on the spot, to be able to stay home with her full-time.
But she said the extra supports that come with the ISO placements make the difficulty doable.
“I was overwhelmed. But they always have that strong support. No matter what, you’re always going to have support.”
Heather Carrigan of New Ipswich, who is the mother of two biological children, currently has two children adopted from the foster system.
Carrigan, who is a general-level foster parent, said the one concern she hears the most when she talks to people about becoming a foster parent, is that they fear becoming too attached to a child that is eventually going to be reunited with their biological family.
“That’s valid. But you start to see that it’s not as scary as it seems, and whatever is in the best interest of the child is easier to do than you think. In the cases were they are reunited, they get their family back, and you were part of that. It’s one of those things that you have to jump in and do it. Nothing worthwhile, nothing important, is easy.”
“There’s a very high need, especially on this side of the state,” Marek said. “I’m desperate. We need to recruit some families in this area. Parents that are willing to take a chance. All it takes is one caring adult to make a difference in these kid’s lives.”
If you are interested in the process of becoming a foster parent or an ISO foster parent, contact Marek at 603-321-7941 or smarek@eastersealsnh.org. Forms for foster parent applications can also be found on the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services website, or at eastersealsNH.org.
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