p3 0
IF YOU ARE AT LEAST 20 YEARS
OLD, financially self-supporting, and have -some
free time and the room to accomo
date an extra person, you may become an
"instant parent for a few months.
Unlike adopting a child, you don't have
to be minted. And unlike being a natural
parent , you don't have to see the child
through infancy and childhood .
A long list of Lincoln teenagers, from
13 to 18 years old who have stolen cars,
skipped school, run away from home or
run into some other trouble is on file in
Nancy Dare's office. And the UNL stu
dent may be just the person to shorten it,
shesayj.
Bare is coordinator of the adolescent
foster care project, a program funded by ,
the Nebraska Crime Commiion, She is in
third dlmczzlon
ever, according to a juvenilis court law.
Two males or females living together are
eligible.
"Single foster parenthood is an area of
great potential," Bare said. "Yet, whether
married or single, lots of people have the
ability to help children. It (foster parent
hood) is not a lifelong commitment."
Foster parenthood may have an added
attraction for the student generation,
llarried couples who are concerned about
population control, or who both have full
time careers may still experience parent
hood this way.
Bare said married couples have their
choice of a boy or girl child, while the
single foster parent must take a child of the
same sex. In any case, each child must have
his own bed.
m m
9
away, sexual promiscuity, drinkinj, drugs
and problems at school. If the child comes
home with a problem you can't hanu.
Bare suggested taking the child to the Child
Guidance Center, the Mental Health Cen
ter of Lincoln-Lancaster County or tlie
UNL Psychological Center for counseling.
foster parents aren't exactly thrown
into the role cold. Each takes a 7-weck
training coune at Southeast Technical
Community College, 3 101 C St. for Vh
hours a week. The course covers the
juveru2e justice system, psychology cf
adolescent development and how to com
municate with adolescents; -
TO AfPLY FOR A FOSTER CHILD,
request a form from the county welfare
office at 2200 S. St. Marys. Usually, Bare s
staff checks the listed character references
carefully before approving a new parent,
but because of the long waiting list it is
possible a student could get a child the day
after completing the form, she said.
A welfare employe makes a check of
tVjry, rptcrobcr 10, 1070
each home for safety, cleanliness and social
background. The jujgs in each youth's case
has final say on placement, but Care's
office tries to honor preferences of sex, age
and type of problems the parent is wCing
to deal with. ,
During the stay, either a welfare case
worker or probation officer will make
periodic checks on the child. The goal
is to send the child back heme. A let of
times the ch2d is placed fci another foster
home or a group home, Eire said.
The average length of stay in a foster
home is seven months.
If you are ambitious, yea may tpply for
more than one child. For Cils yea need a
state license and arcval of your home
. from the state fire manhdl.
Bare said a few elder and graduate stu
dents at UNL are foster parents new.
For information, call either Nancy Bare
(472-21 1 3) or Ifarge ixdJca, resource
developer for the county welfsrs depart
ment, at 475-6221.
wiai pay,
biii what a chaEsnca
By Nancy J. Stohs
and Terri WiUson
charge of recruiting foster parents for the
youth who are referred to her by the
county welfare department.
Her job ia not ear. ,
"Since they (adolescents) are harder to
handle, it's hard to find people to take
them in," she said, adding: ''Sometimes a
college student can relate to an adole
scent." She stressed the student should be
older, mature, responsible and able to take
care of himself first.
Her or she may be single, and it is con
ceivable a student could bring a foster child
into a campus residence ha! as a roon
mate, Bare said.
A man and a woman living together are
ineligible to become foster parents, how-
If you're worried your bills would
suddenly multiply, you needn't. The wel
fare department allots $165 a month for
the care of each child in a home, to be used
for food, rent, transportation and the
child's pocket money. Medical ami dental
care are also provided for by welfare.
Vhat are the main duties of a foster
parent?
Just supervise and "be a friend," Bare
said, adding that it would be a challenge.
"A lot have had so many negative exper
iences before that they test the new
parents to see if they're serious about hav
ing them there."
Problems the parent could expect to
encounter from the child include running
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