DENVER — Recent data Denver7 obtained from the Colorado Department of Human Services shows that of the 3,407 children and youth in foster care in Colorado, 77 are in specialized foster care, which includes kids with behavioral issues, developmental disabilities and medical conditions. This National Foster Care Awareness Month, the state of Colorado reports there is a need for more people to become specialized foster care parents for those children.
Jose Perales, who goes by his middle name Luis, is a specialized foster parent. Perales and his wife are fostering two teenage boys, ages 16 and 14.
“Through the professional program, we only foster kids with disabilities, with special needs and they usually come out of a facility or a more institutionalized type of placement,” Perales said.
Specialized foster parents take in kids who have experienced trauma, have gone through abuse and neglect, have medical needs, and more. Perales said the boys they foster are going through their own struggles.
“It’s autism, PTSD, some childhood trauma, and then of course there’s always learning disabilities," he said.
Joe Homlar with Colorado’s Department of Human Services explained that there is a need for specialized foster care parents in the state.
“There’s around 75 children and youth in specialized foster care settings," he said. "There are also a number of children that are either waiting for residential care or a specialized foster care setting. At any given time, that number is around 50."
The state is doing outreach to recruit more families. Homlar encourages families to check out the website co4kids.org to learn more or reach out to child placement agencies.
“Child placement agencies are the No. 1 group that certifies and supports specialized foster parents,” Homlar said.
Homlar said anyone can become a specialized foster parent as long as their home is safe, loving and nurturing. These foster parents will undergo extensive training and have support throughout the process.
“A lot of times, foster parents can be just integrated right away. Other times, there are some challenges that are unanticipated or unseen, but by the end of the day, every foster parent I’ve spoken with sees it as an amazing reward,” Homlar said.
Perales said the biggest hurdle for a potential foster parent can be the feeling that they are not capable of the task.
“You just have to jump in and do it because if you’re capable, if your heart’s in the right place and you can provide a safe and loving environment — you can do a good job fostering as long as you have the right intentions," he said.
