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By MICHELLE ZLOMKE
Chief Managing Editor
The former youth living at the Cedars Richardson House in Broken Bow are all living with foster families now, or they have returned to live with their own families.
The facility closed Sept. 30, due to changes in the state’s philosophy regarding residential youth programs and a resulting reduction in funding.
However, Cedars continues to provide foster care services to fill a need for youth who need alternative living arrangements.
And they are looking for families in the area to provide that alternative.
“The more homes we have, the more flexibility we have to ensure we put the right youth in the right home,” said Suellen Koepke, director of Cedars Central Nebraska.
Koepke said a variety of youth from all kinds of situations enter foster care, and matching them with the right families initially means fewer transitions in and out of foster homes.
“Each time they move, they are traumatized again,” she said.
Cedars, and other approved agencies, receive notification of foster care needs, Koepke said. The agencies then review their foster homes to determine if they have an appropriate place for the youth who need homes.
Koepke said the need is especially great in the counties surrounding Custer County currently. Cedars serves Blaine, Custer, Garfield, Greeley, Loup, Sherman, Valley and Wheeler counties.
Cedars prefers to have foster homes available in all the counties they serve, so there are placement options close to where children may already live, Koepke said.
“You can remove a child from a home, but they keep that connection. You like to keep a child in their local area, if possible,” she said. “Sometimes it’s not appropriate.”
Koepke said children enter foster care following a variety of situations. They may need temporary emergency care or longer term care after they leave their family home; they may have previously been in a group residence, or they may have been in more intense services.
Whatever the situation, the goal of foster care services is to promote the best relationship possible between the child and the child’s family.
“The ultimate goal is to transition them back home and get them back on the right track,” she said.
Koepke said foster families also have a variety of living situations. Some are young with or without children of their own, and some are retirees, whose children have grown.
No matter what the situation, Koepke said there are some common traits among foster care providers. They are nurturing, compassionate, have flexibility and can exercise “though love” when it’s needed.
“You also have to be able to let go when it’s time for them to leave,” she said, “and that can be hard to do.”
Koepke said teens are often the hardest children to place in homes, but sometimes have the most need. They also may find the most support when they are placed in the right home.
“They know they have someone that is going to keep them accountable,” Koepke said. “They know they have someone who is invested in them.”
Cedars screens foster care applicants through background checks and a home and family assessment.
Once accepted to the program, Cedars trains foster care providers using PRIDE, an enrollment and training program provided by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Foster care providers receive on-going training and support, as well as 24-hour emergency support.
They participate in team meetings and will soon be able to become part of Cedars new foster care support group.
Koepke said providers also receive a daily stipend to help with the expenses of having extra children in the home.
They also are rewarded in knowing they have provided something valuable to a child, Koepke said.
“You’re opening up your home to kids in need, and that’s a good feeling,” she said. “We need to be taking care of each other.”
For more information, call Cedars at 872-5455. |
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