Governor Proclaims May 2016 as Foster Care Month in the State of Alabama

DI6T6295

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed a proclamation and declared May as Foster Care Month in the State of Alabama.

“Foster Care Month is a time when we thank our foster care families and advocates and bring awareness to the need for foster care children to have a permanent home,” Governor Bentley said. “I am proud of the staff members at the Department of Human Resources who are devoted to working with families and are helping to meet the needs of foster care children.  As the father of two adopted sons, I know first-hand the importance adoption plays in a family.  During the month of May, I know Alabamians will join me in thanking foster care families for their love and support of our state’s foster care children.”

There are more than 5,400 children and older youth in Alabama foster care who are provided a safe, secure and stable home by compassionate and nurturing foster families. Many of the dedicated foster families frequently adopt foster children, resulting in a greater need for more foster families. Some of these children simply need foster care for a matter of days, while others may need foster care until they are reunited with their biological family or a plan is made for them to be adopted. The children in the foster care program span all ethic and economic backgrounds and have a wide array of circumstances, through no fault of their own, that have placed them in need of foster care.

Governor Bentley led the effort in 2015 to pass the Alabama’s Fostering Hope Scholarship Act, which will offer people currently or formerly in Alabama’s foster care program the opportunity to receive a college education paid for by tuition scholarships. The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) administers the scholarship program.

DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner said that her agency works every month to support children in foster care.

“While May is Foster Care Month, it is important that we work diligently every day throughout the year to protect, nurture, and improve the well-being of the children and youth who enter foster care through no fault of their own,” said DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. “Most foster children will return home to their families, but when they are unable, we must work tirelessly to find permanent homes for them so they can mature into healthy and successful adults.”

Information about becoming a foster parent and more about the foster care program and the common factors that place children in this program can be found here.