Foster Parents Are Finding Breaks Few and Far Between

On good days, when the twins are smiling and following her every move through their Coke-bottle eyeglasses, Pattie Hunt loves being a foster mother.

But on the bad ones -- when nothing stops their fussiness and Hunt has had just a few hours’ sleep -- it gets a lot tougher.

That’s when dinner and a movie out with her husband beckon as much-needed relief, the Ojai foster mother says.

“To have even a few hours to step away and breathe is wonderful,” said Hunt, 49. “And then we’re ready to go back.”

Unfortunately, arranging such a break is a lot harder than it seems. Because the 10-month-old brothers are wards of the court and have multiple health problems, Hunt can’t hand them over to just anyone.

She must use a licensed respite-care provider -- and there are only two in Ventura County to help 175 foster-care families.

These baby-sitters must first undergo training in first aid, pass an FBI background check and master a maze of regulations that govern children in the state’s foster-care system.

County leaders are hoping to increase their ranks by offering a series of respite-care training sessions this month. Participants must attend four sessions to qualify as a licensed sitter.

County Supervisor Steve Bennett, who is spearheading the training campaign, is taking an active role in the program.

He and his wife, high school teacher Leslie Ogden, have completed the 12 hours of training and, as respite providers, will be taking kids into their Ventura home.

A lot of people shy away, thinking they will have to be available a certain number of hours, but the hours are flexible, Bennett said.

“You’re just on a list, and if you’re available when they call, you can do it,” he said.

Burnout is the No. 1 reason people stop being foster parents, he said.

“They just can’t get enough breaks from the rigors of it,” Bennett said.

“If you view foster parents as providing all of us with an invaluable resource, it is in everyone’s interest to keep those people as foster parents.”

The training program is part of a broader push by the county to increase the number of foster-care homes.

There were 166 foster homes in 2001, down from a high of 341 a decade earlier. But county child protection officials in the last year have halted the slide with an aggressive community and media campaign.

So far, they have added about 10 homes, said Trish Cavanaugh, a foster-care coordinator. Most encouraging is the rising number of foster homes headed by adults of Latino descent, she said.

About 22% of foster homes are headed by Latinos, compared with 8% last year.

“Although the numbers seem a little small, they have made a big difference in the lives of these children ... especially having Spanish speakers,” Cavanaugh said.

Ignacio and Maria Godinez became foster parents two years ago.

Since then, the Oxnard sanitation manager and his homemaker wife have taken in a total of 17 children. They have six sons of their own.

“The way I look at it is a little bird,” Ignacio Godinez said. “You get a little bird with a broken wing. He’s frowning. He won’t smile. And when you let him go, he’s laughing and back in the world.”

FYI: Training sessions for respite providers begin Tuesday. An informational session begins at 5:30 p.m. in the downstairs conference room at 4651 Telephone Road, Ventura. For a full schedule or more information, call 654-2703.