Adults over 50 are playing an increasingly significant role in raising the next generation.
In the United States today, almost 2.7 million grandparents are raising their grandchildren through what human services professionals call “kinship care.” That number is up seven percent since 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Other older adults are becoming foster parents to children outside their families because they want to offer them safe, stable and loving homes.
Adults over 50 bring unique strengths to foster parenting.
“Their breadth of life experience can be a wonderful gift to a foster child’s life,” said Peter Clarke of Denver Human Services. “Foster parents who are retired also have a freedom in scheduling that isn’t available to working families.”
Denver Human Services is responsible for the care of more than 600 abused and neglected children. Although many are placed with loving relatives, others need foster parents to open their homes and hearts.
Foster parents come from all ages and backgrounds. To become a foster parent through Denver Human Services, you must be a U.S. citizen or resident who is over 21, financially stable, and physically and emotionally healthy. You must also pass a home study and background check and live within a one-hour driving distance of the Denver metro area.
Denver Human Services provides plenty of support to help foster families thrive. In addition to a dedicated staff person, each family is eligible for ongoing training, fun family activities, and mentors and support groups. Families are also reimbursed for many of the costs of caring for children.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent or discovering how Denver Human Services supports kinship care families, visit the agency online at www.denvergov.org/fostercare.
Article By Craig Wells, Denver Human Services