Ever thought about providing a safe home for children in Wake County through foster care? This National Foster Care Month, Wake County Child Welfare staff are bringing the information to you through multiple pop-up information events at Health and Human Services locations across the county.
“By creating safe and understanding environments for children in crisis, foster parents are a crucial part of working towards family reunification,” said Commissioner Tara Waters of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “We encourage anyone who has considered foster care to visit our pop-up events to learn how they can open their homes and hearts to children.”
Six pop-up events are planned for May. They include:
- Cary: Western Health & Human Services Center May 2, 11 a.m.
- Raleigh: Swinburne Building May 3, 11:30 a.m.
- Raleigh: Human Services Center at Departure Drive May 9, 11 a.m.
- Wake Forest: Northern Regional Center May 13, 11 a.m.
- Fuquay-Varina: Southern Regional Center May 16, 11 a.m.
- Zebulon: Eastern Regional Center May 22, 1 p.m.
The public will also be able to participate in a garden ceremony during the events at each HHS location. The ceremonies will feature the placement of decorative butterfly garden stakes, representing the transformative journey of foster care.
Currently, 404 children and teens are in the Wake County foster care system. In contrast, only 94 foster homes are available to take in children in times of emergencies.
The primary purpose of foster care is to provide a safe, healthy home in a family setting for a child who must be separated from their birth or legal parents. Foster care is designed to be temporary, offering support to facilitate the reunification of children and teens with their birth families or legal guardians, or to transition them to permanent homes.
Visit wake.gov/foster to learn more.
