PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 23, 2021
Foster parents need
a seat at the table
PUBLIC SQUARE welcomes all points of view. Published submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Keizertimes
National Night Out is Aug. 3
National Night Out is Tuesday, Aug. 3,
an evening when households gather with
their neighbors to meet and greet. Keizer
residents will join with over 38 million
other Americans that night.
The annual event is designed to
heighten crime awareness, generate sup-
port and participation in local anti-crime
effort, strengthen neighborhood spirit and
police-community relations and send a
message to criminals letting them know
neighborhoods are organized and fighting
back.
The best way to build safer communi-
ties is to know our neighbors. The past 15
months of isolation due to COVID has
left many feeling disconnected from their
neighbors and their neighborhoods. With
relaxed pandemic protocols in Oregon we
hope Keizerites in every parrt of town will
either organize or attend a National Night
Out party.
Over the years Keizer has seen dozens
of block parties on National Night Out—
some small, others were big affairs with
amenities such as bounce houses for the
kids. Regardless of the size of the gather-
ings, the results were as intended: people
reconnecting, new neighbors greeted and
Korean War should
not be forgotten
To the Editor:
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 commemorates
the 71st year of the Korean War cease fire
(armistice). A war for which no peace
documents to terminate the war have been
signed. More than 37,000 Americans died
in combat during the 37 months (25 June
1950 - 27 July 1953). This equates to the
population of the city of Keizer. To those
Americans who survived and to those who
didn’t, this is an important part of history
that should not be forgotten. Since World
War II, all wars (conflicts) in which the
United States has been involved are by
executive decision. Only Congress can
Editorial
informed about the community.
The Keizer Fire District has been
known to make appearances at gatherings
and show off their rigs and delight kids
with demostrations of fire hoses. Members
of the the city council, including the mayor,
make stops at many of the parties, as do
members of the Keizer Police Department.
After months we have lived through
with COVID, National Night Out is
needed more than ever. The city encour-
ages neighborhoods to register their par-
ties—it improves chances of visits from
city leaders (this is the perfect time to get
some one on one time with the mayor and
councilors).
Deadline to register a party for
National Night Out with the Keizer Police
Department is Wednesday, July 28. Log
onto keizer.org/national-night-out-2021,
then get out and meet your neighobors,
new and old.
—LAZ
Letters
By JOSIE WALSH
There are 125 non-relative foster homes
in Oregon Department of Human Services
District 3 which contains Yamhill, Polk
and Marion Counties. Not bad, you might
think. Until you realize that there are 638
foster children in District 3. That math
does not add up. Of course, some of those
kids are placed in family or kinship place-
ments. It still leaves a disproportionate
number of foster children for the number
of foster homes available. Our community
is outraged when they hear that foster
children are temporarily housed in hotels,
sent out of state or to other facilities.
Well, my question is, where are those
community members? What are they
doing to step in and fill the gap left in the
care for these most vulnerable children in
our community?
Foster parent recruitment and reten-
tion have been a focus for state and pri-
vate agencies for the last several years.
A number of organizations have begun
operating in our area with the intention
of supporting, encouraging and recruiting
foster families. Groups like Every Child
Oregon and Salem Angels are stepping up
to uplift children and families impacted
by foster care. Churches and other groups
across the state consistently work to fill
gaps in specific and material needs as
well as encouraging families to consider
becoming foster parents.
Oregon Department of Human Services
District 3 has a Resource Family Retention
and Recruitment Champion. The vision,
as stated on marionfosteroradopt.com, is
that “Oregon will have an abundance of
safe, affirming, well-trained, supported,
diverse and thriving quality resource
families that reflect the characteristics of
children in care and are equipped to meet
their unique needs.” I believe the state is
working in that direction, by focusing on
recruitment and retention, providing addi-
tional support to resource families and by
beginning to give foster families a voice.
But it’s not enough. Recruitment is step
one. We have to get potential resource/
foster families interested and in the door.
Next, the focus is on retainment. How do
we keep foster families in service? How
can they be supported and encouraged so
that they can stay the course, and continue
to provide the loving, caring and nurtur-
ing environments that are so desperately
needed by the hundreds of children that
are in care?
There is a myriad of barriers, concerns
other
VOICES
and problems that are the reasons why a
family stops fostering. One glaring con-
cern I see is the fear of retribution by the
state or agency should any little thing go
wrong in a foster home. What should be
a partnership, a team, a united front often
feels like it’s “us versus them." Foster
parents and families are often in a con-
stant state of anxiety and concern that
one small misstep; or worse yet, a falsely
reported misstep, will mean the end of
their fostering journey. Foster parents
often know these children better than any-
one, they serve not just as parents, but as
advocates and cheerleaders. When will
foster parents be given a seat at the table?
When will their voices, their input, their
experience be valued? How can we create
an environment where foster families can
feel safe, and know that they don’t have to
fear the very agency they serve?
In July 2019, Oregon legislature made a
commitment to support foster and kinship
families by making KEEP groups avail-
able across the state. KeepFostering.org
explains that “KEEP is an evidence-based
support and skill enhancement program
for foster and kinship parents of children
(KEEP Standard) and teens (KEEP SAFE).
The program supports foster families by
promoting child well-being and prevent-
ing placement breakdowns.” The KEEP
model has been implemented in several
states with positive outcomes.
It is imperative that Oregon maintains
this commitment, perhaps even expand
it in order to continue to fund the KEEP
program, and others aimed at increasing
the recruitment and retention of foster
families in our county as well as across the
state.
( Josie Walsh is a Maser of Social Work
student and lives in Keizer.)
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WHEATLAND PUBLISHING CORP.
declare war and they have not.
Regrettably, there is very little
information about the Korean War in the
history books used in the schools. There
are, however, some well written books
available at book stores, both new and
used
Saturday 24 July, a ceremony will begin
at 10 a.m. at the Korean War Memorial in
Wilsonville to remember the Korean War.
Bob Wickman
Keizer
142 Chemawa Road N, Keizer, Oregon 97303
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