From: Andrea Weiss <[log in to unmask]> 04/22/99 12:31PM >>>

Thank you to Communities United for allowing me to talk about Dane
County's increasing need for Foster Homes.  Since I met with you, the
need for Foster Homes has increased and the number of homes has
decreased.  But, this is not just a numbers game.  Not every foster
home is willing to take some of the children who need placement, and
every home cannot meet the needs of all of the children.  Our goal is
to have a sufficient number of Foster Parents available so that the
unique needs of each child or group of children can be matched to the
appropriate home.

Having to separate siblings is a big problem.  More homes willing and
able to take siblings are needed.  Teens can be very difficult to
place as well. And having homes in school districts where the
children are located is also a significant need.  Frequently, for
these children their siblings, school friends, and teachers are their
primary source of stability and comfort.

For those of you who were not at the March 8 meeting, let me share
some statistics with you about who our current foster parents are:

        66% of Foster Parents are married couples
        31% of Foster Parents are single
          3% of Foster Parents are same gender couples

        70% of Foster Families are Caucasian
        19% of Foster Families are African American
         7% (approximately) of Foster Families are Bi-racial
         1% (approximatley) of Foster Families are Hispanic

At the meeting, I was asked who the Foster Children are.
Unfortunately, there is no computerized data base but we have
researched this question.  Currently, our Foster Children
are:

         42 Children (11%) are ages 0 - 2
         50 Children (13%) are ages 3 - 5
        139 Children (36%) are ages 6 - 11
         72 Children (19%) are ages 12 - 14
         77 Children (20%) are ages 15 - 18

        170 Children (45%) are Caucasian
        151 Children (40%) are African American
         25 Children  ( 7%) are Caucasian/African American
         16 Children  ( 4%) are Caucasian/Hispanic
          8  Children  ( 2%) are Hispanic
          5 Children   (1%)  are Native American/Caucasian
          2 Children  (<1%) are Asian
          2 Children (<1%)  are Native American/African American
          1 Child      (<1%)   is Asian/Caucasian

WE NEED TO REACH AS MANY OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WITH WHICH YOU ARE
AFFILLIATED AS POSSIBLE to work together to recruit additional foster
families.

There are a variety of options in Foster Care, and no child(ren) is
(are) placed in Foster Homes unless the Foster Parents want to take
them.

Please let me know how I can approach your organizations/groups to
form partnerships to meet the needs of these children.  I can be
reached via email:  [log in to unmask] or via telephone: 242-6247.

Thanks for your time and consideration.


                                                                        Andrea Weiss