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Presentation on Youthville – Foster Homes
Karen Lippoldt Foster Care Recruiter/Trainer, representing Youthville addressed the Council. Lippoldt distributed to each Council Member a packet of information on Youthville. Lippoldt stated that Sedgwick County is in a crisis situation with foster kids. There are an abundance of children coming into care and not enough homes. Lippoldt continued to state that she has been going to Council meetings in all the out lying communities in Sedgwick, Sumner, Harper, Butler, and Cowley Counties trying to get more homes. The biggest concern is the teenagers that live day to day in a different facility. According to state regulations a child can only live in a residential facility for 90 days after that they have to leave and a place has to be found for them. These kids spend their days at Youthville waiting for a home and go from one emergency home to another. For most of the kids schooling is nonexistent. Lippoldt stated that most of the kids want to go to school, want to have friends, and want consistency in their lives. Lippoldt stated that there are approximately 1,400 kids in foster care right now and there are only about 250 homes available, and a home can only have four kids at a time. Lippoldt requested for everyone to think of people that might be willing to try foster care and she stated that she would speak to any group that might have an interest in the Foster Care Program.
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The minutes from this meeting are three years old. The school situatiion has been resolved. The Wichita and Derby school districts would not accept the children because their address (the Youthville office building) was in the Derby School District. The Kids were actually from the Wichita district. Neither one wanted to take the responsibility. The Derby School district now provides transportation services to a program they offer to assist children in this type of situation. It has been a great help to the children.
ReplyDeleteSchool was not nonexistent for these children, the local school distrcits chose to ignore these children.