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State social services tell Florence council Boone County needs more foster homes, respite providers
Summary
Representatives from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services updated Florence City Council on foster care statistics in Northern Kentucky and urged local residents to consider fostering, respite care, donations or volunteering to prevent children from sleeping in offices or other nontraditional placements.
Representatives from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services told the Florence City Council caucus on Wednesday that Boone County and the Northern Bluegrass region face a shortage of foster homes and need more respite providers and donations to prevent children from remaining in nontraditional placements.
The presenters said the state currently has 8,605 children in foster care and that the Northern Bluegrass Service Region — which serves Boone, Kenton, Campbell and several other counties — has 1,224 children in care. Boone County was reported to have 170 children in foster care, Campbell County 162 and Kenton County 427. Presenters said the region relies on a mix of DCBS and PCC foster homes (58 and 74 respectively in the area) and that children ages 12 to 21 represent the largest single age group in Boone County (80 children).
The cabinet representatives described two placement categories that often reduce strain on the foster system: relative placements (grandparents, aunts, uncles or siblings) and fictive kin (close family friends, teachers or others with an established relationship to the child). They said relatives and fictive-kin caregivers can sometimes take children immediately while licensed foster parents complete a seven-week, seven-class training and home-study approval process.
Council members asked about ways residents could help short of full-time fostering. Cabinet staff said respite care — short-term care to relieve licensed foster families — is one accessible option that does not require the full licensing course, and that community donations (new suitcases, clothing, food gift cards, video game systems and warm meals) help children placed nontraditionally. The presenters also described an independent-living program for people 18 to 21 that teaches life skills.
Presenters said the state was at about 85 percent of licensed foster capacity and noted occasional emergency situations in which children temporarily sleep in office space while staff find placements. They asked the council and community to help publicize recruitment events and to consider hosting or partnering on outreach opportunities.
No formal action was taken by the council during the presentation. Council members and staff offered logistical suggestions and said city events and vendor fairs could provide outreach venues for the cabinet representatives.
For follow-up, the presenters left informational packets with the council and invited contact for event participation or donation drop-offs.
