Foster care agency plans 2-day recruitment drive

LINCOLN – With a constant need for families to provide foster and respite care for children in Northern Penobscot County, members of Care Development of Maine are planning a two-day recruitment drive to share information about the process.

Representatives from the Bangor-based foster care and adoption assistance agency will visit more than 100 businesses in Enfield, Lee, Lincoln, Medway and Millinocket on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and Thursday, Oct. 2, and leave informational pamphlets for patrons.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, people can meet with foster care developers at an informal open house at the Care Development office, 277 Main St. in Lincoln. Presentations on the need for foster care will be given at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Route 2 in Lincoln.

While foster care has a lot of supportive families in the area, they often leave the system upon adopting a foster child, according to Sandi Macomber, foster developer for Lincoln. The number of available families could see another drop next summer when state-imposed cuts to foster care funding take effect, Macomber said.

As a treatment level agency that tries to accommodate children with special needs, Care Development is looking for a greater variety of homes for foster and adoptive care placement, she said.

“We like to be able to find homes for kids that are a good match for kids,” Macomber said Monday. “If you don’t have a wide variety of homes, you kind of lose your ability to help kids with high needs.”

Organizers are also hoping to bring on families to provide respite care for children, she said. Respite providers often take a child for a weekend or extended periods such as a vacation, she said.

“Respite providers are huge,” Macomber said. “We’re crying for them all the time. During the summer, we could use them for every day of the week.”

Becoming a foster parent is usually a six- to nine-month process that includes a 24-hour training course as well as a study of the home by a foster care developer, Macomber said. For information about the informational meetings or being a foster parent, contact Macomber at 794-0285.