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Foster parents are needed

There is a great demand for foster parents in the Minot area.

Don and Tammy Hamm of Minot say that foster parenting can be demanding but also extremely rewarding.

“This is our 19th year,” said Don Hamm.

The couple started out working with Ward County Social Services and, for the last six years, have been therapeutic foster parents working with Path ND.

As therapeutic foster parents, they are required to have more than 30 hours of continuing education training each year and be certified in CPR and first aid and have training in crisis prevention intervention. They also attend a monthly support group for foster parents called Share and Support and attend a yearly conference, said Tammy Hamm. She said that the expense of the training is covered by the agency.

Over the years, the family has fostered between 50 and 60 kids. Some kids have spent one night with the Hamms and others have stayed for as long as three years. They adopted one foster child who came to stay with them when she was 3 years old. Their daughter is now 10.

Don Hamm said foster parenting has been rewarding for the whole family, including their biological children who grew up with foster brothers and sisters.

They said it is rewarding to see that they might have affected the kids’ lives in some little way.

They have also stayed in touch with some of their former foster children. They will be attending a wedding for one former foster child soon.

The Hamms said their foster children have come to stay with them for different reasons. Lately, agencies across the country have been strained by an increased demand for foster care services because of neglect caused by a parent’s drug or alcohol abuse.

Therapeutic foster families tend to kids who need a greater level of care.

The goal is usually for a foster child to eventually return home to his parents or to other relatives. Foster parents are asked to work with a team of social workers and others working with a child to help make that happen.

It can be hard to see kids go home, say the Hamms, but they take the attitude that they have made a difference for now. If no one volunteered to do it, there wouldn’t be enough foster families to help kids who need it.

Also important is “the support we get from our PATH and county social workers and the importance of everyone working together as a team to best meet the needs of the foster children in our home,” said Tammy Hamm. “The schools have also been an important part of the team for our foster children – having supportive administrators and teachers who understand and know how to work with children who have experienced significant trauma in their lives is vital!”

Foster parents for Ward County Social Services must be at least 21, must be financially stable, can be either single or married, can rent or own their home, have adequate space for a child, must pass a criminal background check, must have personal references, and must have homeowners or renters insurance, according to Ward County Social Services. Foster parents are provided with a monthly stipend, paid medical and dental for foster children, paid childcare for foster children if the foster parents work, clothing allowances and much more, according to the website.

Foster parents might provide respite care for other foster families or kinship care for a relative’s child.

ND Path has additional training requirements.

People can contact Ward County Social Services at 852-3552 for more information. Path ND can be reached at 877-551-6274.

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