Foster efforts furthered

BERLIN TWP. — Christmas felt a little larger and, thus, more important for the Harder family this year. This holiday season, spouses Nichole and Talmadge Harder doubled the number of children they can legally call their own. Beyond their biological kids, Grant, 13, and Colin, 11, they also adopted two half-siblings — Landon, 4, and Brielle, 3 — previously coming to them via foster care, dating back to 2020. "It was a no-brainer: We knew they both had to be part of our family," said Nichole, who's a trained nurse and today works in the insurance agency. Talmadge, meanwhile, serves in the U.S. Army Reserves and is currently deployed. "Based on our careers, we are very service-oriented people, and we have always been connected to the community," said Nichole, who lives in the Berlin Heights area with her family. "We weren't done having kids, but we stopped after I went through a high-risk pregnancy," she added. "So we just decided to grow our family in a different way. Our original plan was to have four kids, and we ended up there in a non-traditional way, but I'm so glad we did it like this." The Harders went through many hardships but persevered to ensure the best outcome for Landon and Brielle. "We wanted a sense of security for them," said Nichole, pointing to her sister and brother-in-law, Sonia and Brian Barker, as inspirations since they went through an adoption process for a son themselves. "Things were a roller coaster — but, at the end of the day, we have no regrets. When we look back on what we experienced, it was all worth it to have a bigger and better family." They encourage anyone to give fostering and possibly adoption a shot. "Even though it's hard, when you look back, you won't have any regrets," Nichole said. By the numbers Erie County's children services workers — who oversee foster care and adoption operations, which include making home visits, speaking with judges and advocating for children — remain appreciative of their strong network of local foster care families, such as the Harders. Workers primarily rely on these dedicated families, consisting of community members, to provide safe havens for children in government custody, which totals 52 today — the lowest figure in recent times. This number peaked in 2014 at 120 kids in local government custody. "We continue to focus on implementing intensive strategies and services to keep families together while also decreasing the number of children who enter agency custody through intensive family search and engagement efforts," said Ashley Gilbert, the county's deputy director of social programs. She also supervises the children services department. "This allows us to place children with relatives and kinship options when they need to be removed from their home setting," Gilbert added. "Not only is this in the best interest of the child(ren) but becomes significantly more important with the reduced number of family foster homes in Erie County." As of today, the number of Erie County-based foster care homes totals 21, down from 24 just a year ago and shrinking even more from 32 in 2020. There's no one specific reason for the drop, and year-by-year numbers do fluctuate, officials said. Because of a positive experience, county-based foster care families frequently adopt the children they foster — as what happened with the Harders. This could then cause this particular family to be removed from an eligibility list. And sometimes those who foster also move away from the area or retire. Per state law, a child can stay in foster care for up to two years before a more permanent housing situation must be achieved. An appeal process could prolong the time frame. So what happens when there are no more locally available foster care homes for children in need? Those kids venture beyond county boundaries, entering a private network of foster homes Erie County works with. This is known as outside placement, an option children services workers never prefer but often use. Inside knowledge on outside placement Outside placement not only places a greater strain on a child and family members but also increases Erie County's boarding bill. It's the label for what local taxpayers spend on children in foster care and other residential settings. In short, it's far less expensive for a child to stay with a family member or enter foster care versus outside placement. Beyond cost, there are many negative consequences specifically impacting a child. Gilbert explained: • "When children are not able to remain within the same county in which they were removed, children lose a lot of their local connections, friends and supports, which can be detrimental to the child's growth and development." • "Children in these situations must be removed from their home school district and their care providers, for both routine and specialized services, must be transferred to a new provider." • "Additionally, children have a limited visitation schedule with his/her parents and/or siblings due to the distance of travel." She then provided an example for others not familiar with this situation to better understand its impacts. "Take a moment and try to imagine what it would be like to wake up tomorrow in a stranger's home, over an hour away, with all new people, places and things — this is just a snapshot of what these children experience under these circumstances," Gilbert said. "The placement of children in network foster homes also increases the county's foster care boarding bill, due to the higher per diem and administrative fees, which impacts our local taxpayer dollars as well." Lowering the bill Erie County's boarding bill has remained relatively low in recent years based on several factors, which would include children services workers: • Placing children in custody with family members before going down the foster care route • Expediting timelines for when parents can reunify with their kids, attempting to reconnect children with their birth parents well before the state's mandate of two years • Establishing other partnerships with local entities On average, the boarding bill has hovered between $1 million and $1.5 million in each year since 2019. That's down from a range of $2 million and $3 million per year from 2014 to 2018. Even with fewer kids, the modern-day boarding bill remains relatively high since some children require intensive care and 24/7 supervision, which greatly increases the per-child cost, officials said. But if the local foster care network further shrinks or gets overwhelmed, then the costs could surely rise — and, more importantly, children could face greater risks by being forced out of their homes, officials said. Despite the struggles, one person overseeing foster care homes expressed his gratitude toward those locally who do foster. "To have the 21 foster homes in a medium-sized county like ours is fantastic," said AJ Lill, the executive director for Erie County Job and Family Services. "But our goal is to always have more, and that would be a benefit for all." One encouraging sign to achieve this occurred just a few months ago. Upping the daily allowances In fall 2024, Erie County commissioners — who oversee funding for children services and cover boarding bill costs — approved a bump to the rate structure certified local foster care families receive when caring for children in government custody. It's the first such pay spike since 2016 — and one, officials believe, can attract more people to fostering, which should keep additional children in local residential settings and lower the overall bill taxpayers foot. Basically, daily per diem rates increased by $5 a day per child: • For each child up to 11, families will obtain $35 a day, up from $30. • For each child 12 and older, families will obtain $43 a day, up from $38. • For each child with special and/or complex needs, no matter the age, families will obtain $50 a day, up from $45. Additionally, foster parents will now receive a $250 clothing voucher for a child who enters agency custody twice a year for a total of $500 annually. And foster parents who are both employed can receive a $200 weekly reimbursement for child care. "The Erie County commissioners' unprecedented investment will not only enable more children to remain in local placements, providing numerous benefits, but it will also enhance our ability to attract and retain additional local foster homes," Lill said. As Lill alluded to, more local foster families would reduce the need for outside placement — which would keep the boarding bill low — thus keeping kids closer to their homes, friends, families, medical offices and other familiar places. New year's resolution With a new year, officials set several objectives for themselves to, ideally, benefit at-risk children. "One of our department 2025 goals is to increase our recruitment efforts for Erie County foster homes, so we plan on attending a lot of speaking engagements and community events to spread the word regarding the need for additional foster homes in Erie County," Gilbert said. "It does not matter if you can take one or six children into your home, any help is a blessing to our agency and Erie County's children," Gilbert said. She then thanked all foster families, past and present, for their contributions to local children. Erie County, she said, "is very fortunate to have the amazing group of foster parents that we have." "To do it well, fostering takes unwavering dedication, passion and a drive to make the world a better place," Gilbert added. "I am proud to say that our foster parents do the impossible and go above and beyond for each child that is placed in their home. Our community is a better place because of this group of selfless individuals and the children of Erie County are fortunate to have your love and support during their greatest time of need." Erie County's team will more than gladly assist anyone seeking help in this process. "We are here to support you every step of the way and understand how scary, unpredictable and challenging foster care can be at times," Gilbert said. "Don't let the fear of the unknown today deter you from making a decision that will leave an imprint on a child's heart forever." Want to foster? If you have ever considered becoming a foster parent but do not know where to start or have further questions regarding the process, reach out to Erie County Job and Family Services, as "we are more than happy to help you get started," according to an organizational statement. People can contact Erie County's foster care specialist Tracie McVeigh at 419-627-4484 or tracie.mcveigh@jfs.ohio.gov for more information. McVeigh also participates a new foster care support group starting in 2024. People can contact her for information on these meetings as well. "This meeting occurs monthly and is a wonderful opportunity for foster parent networking while sharing challenges, successes and receiving support from others who are going through similar situations," Gilbert said.