EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Attorney’s Office, along with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and other organizations, announced the launch of a year-long effort aimed at increasing the availability and licensed foster and adoptive parents in El Paso County.
The Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday, June 25, in a news release.
“This campaign seeks to address the critical gap between the number of children needing out-of-home placement and the limited availability of suitable, licensed foster homes within the region,” read the news release.
The Attorney’s Office said the need for more foster and adoptive parents in the County is significant.
As of May, there are 230 children in substitute care in the County, which includes kinship and foster care placements. A total of 102 of these children, nearly 45 percent, are placed outside of the County, away from their communities, according to the Attorney’s Office.
The Attorney’s Office said the campaign will emphasize recruiting homes for teenagers, large sibling groups, and children aged 12 and under.
There is also a critical need for bilingual (Spanish/English) foster homes to help children maintain their cultural and linguistic connections, according to the news release.
“Almost half of all children are sent outside of El Paso County for temporary placement—away from their families, schools, and community — making reunification with their parents significantly more difficult,” Sanchez stated.
In addition, this effort will kick off with an initial public recruitment event to provide information to prospective foster and adoptive parents.
The foster parents recruitment event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 28, at Vino Nuevo Church, 988 Kessler Dr.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the fostering process, discover available support and resources, and explore different agency options and their services, according to the news release.
Tanya Berry, CPS Region 10 Liaison, encouraged community members to consider fostering:
“The certification process to become a foster parent might seem complex, but it’s designed to ensure children are placed in safe, supportive homes. Resources and support are available every step of the way to guide you through the training and approval,” she said.
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