Local News in Brief : Countywide : Agency Push to Recruit Foster Parents Begins
The Orange County Social Services Agency this week will start an intensive foster parents recruiting campaign that will begin in Orange and move from city to city until the entire county has been covered.
The campaign, called Take Home a Neat Kid Soon (THANKS), will continue as long as necessary to increase the number of foster homes in the county to an acceptable level, said Barbara Labitzke, foster care coordinator for the agency.
The need for additional foster homes in the county is critical, even though the number of homes has increased from 585 to 630 in recent months, Labitzke said.
By good social work standards, she said, there should be three foster homes for every child who needs one. In the county, she said, there are three children for every foster home available.
“We need to bolster our troops and add to our forces,” she said.
To help it in its THANKS campaign, Labitzke said, the agency has hired a public relations firm to arrange TV appearances and speaking engagements by agency staff members, public exhibits and informational meetings for groups of city employees.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
