Carson City events for National Foster Care Awareness Month

To celebrate May as National Foster Care Awareness Month, National Division of Child and Family Services is hosting events, from casual picnics to formal dinners, to thank foster parents for their role in providing care and support to children. The division is also displaying a “thank you” banner on Carson City this week to show appreciation to foster families.

Foster care needs arise when the safety and protection of a child is not met by their parents or caregiver. If relatives cannot be located for a child who needs out-of-home placement services, DCFS helps by arranging foster care placement. The removal of a child from his or her natural environment is taken only as a last resort, as part of the overall continuum of services provided by DCFS.

Foster parents are required to attend a pre-service training prior to obtaining a license. A foster family must meet all minimum licensing standards. FBI background checks are conducted on all applicants and residents 18 years of age or older living in the home. Resource families must complete four hours of advanced training per year in order to keep the license current.

For more information and details about the events, call Lori Nichols at 775-888-423-2659, or go to www.dcfs.state.nv.us.