Gilroy
– Domestic child abuse – an alarming South County trend – is an
issue several local churches will tackle in the new year.
In partnership with Help One Child, a nonprofit organization
that assists at-risk children in Santa Clara and San Mateo
counties, churches in the Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin area
will begin work in January to recruit families who want to care for
foster children.
Gilroy – Domestic child abuse – an alarming South County trend – is an issue several local churches will tackle in the new year.
In partnership with Help One Child, a nonprofit organization that assists at-risk children in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, churches in the Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin area will begin work in January to recruit families who want to care for foster children.
Representatives from Help One Child will be speaking at church services throughout South County to relay the need for foster homes and volunteer families. Church attendees will be invited to attend orientations providing information about how to become a licensed foster family.
On Jan. 26 Help One Child will visit St. Mary Parish, on the corner of First and Monterey street. The church also will host Help One Child’s first aid and CPR class on Jan. 29.
Nearly 2,500 children in the county need out-of-home care because of abusive or neglectful home environments, according to the county’s social services agency. Almost half of the displaced children in the county are Hispanic, about 30 percent are white, 16 percent are African American and 5 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander.
Mark Morris, director of Help One Child, said part of the reason the problem runs rampant in South County is the high mobility and growth of the area. The organization is looking to open an additional branch in Gilroy and is seeking local volunteers and free office space, Morris said.
Help One Child assists children who have been abandoned, abused, exposed to drugs or otherwise endangered. The nonprofit organization was launched in 1993 by Los Altos residents Mark and JoAnne Morris, who adopted two children from foster care.
The county’s department of family and child services also provides a number of different placement services for foster children as well as options for prospective foster families. Some children may require emergency foster care for just a few days, while others need short- or long-term placement.
Connie Vega, program manager with the department, said the ideal situation is to place at-risk children with their relatives. If that’s not plausible, the department relies on foster families to provide healthy, solid environments for at-risk children.
“When we look at placing children, we look at the needs of the child to determine where the appropriate place is to place that child,” she said. “That’s something we would do regardless of looking at placement with relatives or foster placement. We really want to look at what the children need.”
Other considerations, Vega said, include trying to keep children within their communities and, if possible, keeping them with their siblings. Matching the foster children’s ethnicity and native language with that of their foster family is another important factor, she said.
Among a number of requirements, prospective parents must be 18 years or older and residents of Santa Clara County. Applicants can be single, two-parent, or same gender families of all races and income levels. The licensing process usually takes three to four months and consists of an application, training workshops and certification in first aid and CPR.
The department then works to best match the applications with the foster children. Social workers visit the foster families periodically to ensure the environment is compliant with department standards.
For more information about the county’s social services agency, located at 333 W. Julian St. in San Jose, call 299-KIDS (5437).
Classes
Help One Child’s orientation will be held from 7 to 9pm Jan. 26 at St. Mary Parish in Gilroy. St. Mary also is hosting Help One Child’s CPR and First Aid class from 8:30am to 1:30pm Jan. 29. For more information, call 888-KID-HOPE or visit www.helponechild.org.
