Foster Homes Sought for Children in Need

Even with an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children set to open this summer, Ventura County still needs families who are willing to provide long-term care for children.

County social workers in the Foster Family Homes program are holding an orientation Wednesday for families who want to take in some of the 30 children who are sent to foster homes every month in Ventura County.

The county Public Social Services Agency now has 294 families on its list, but sometimes has trouble matching children with the right homes.

“Not all homes can serve all needs,” said Sally Allen, the county’s foster care program manager. “We need families that are bilingual, bicultural. We need families who can take teen-agers.”

Sometimes it is simply a matter of finding a family that lives in the same school district as the foster child.

Foster parents can receive from $345 to $484 a month for keeping a child, as well as additional pay for children with physical or developmental problems.

On Saturday, a nonprofit group will dedicate Casa Pacifica, an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children who were just removed from their families. If social workers determine that the youngsters cannot return to their parents, they will match them with foster families.

Families interested in the foster care program can attend the orientation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Senior Nutrition Center, 2220 Ventura Road. For more information, call Diana Caskey at 654-3450.