Social worker enjoys role of foster parent

MERCER COUNTY - Social worker Tonya Siefring, who oversees the county's foster care system, was a shoo-in to become a foster parent herself.

The assistant supervisor of social services, Siefring has been with Mercer County Job and Family Services for 15 years, getting a daily look at what it takes to become a foster parent.

May is National Foster Care Month.

"I always wanted to become a foster parent," she said, adding she took the plunge in 2012. "I've been experienced in this field for 15 years so I knew what was coming with it. I know how to deal with the kids that are in care and how to work with the caseworkers."

The system's primary goal is to place children temporarily in caring homes while the biological parents work out their problems.

"The current average time spent in foster care for all kids in the agency's temporary custody this year so far is 216 days," Siefring said. The least amount of time is 43 days and the most is 511 days."

She and her husband, Chris, have fostered four children in their Burkettsville home over the years.

She's enjoyed taking care of the children but admits it can be difficult to see them leave to reunite with their birth parents.

"Especially when they're in your home for almost a year," she said, "you get to know them. You care for them. You love them. Even if you know that they're going to a good home, it's still hard. You still miss them."
However, the foster family and biological family often stay in contact afterward.
"Even after the child returns home, they still (see) each other. They will use the foster parents for daycare or even just to call them for support," Siefring said. "So we highly encourage relationships with the biological family. I think it makes it easier for everybody involved because you can have that ongoing relationship."  

Karen Elshoff also recently spoke of the joys of fostering. She and her husband, Mark, for the past seven years have welcomed children into their Celina home.

"It's something I always wanted to do ... even when in high school," she said. "It has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it."

She is often asked how she deals with seeing the children leave their temporary homes.

"Some of them, we're ready for them to go, and others, it's very hard," she said. "If you know they're going back to a good situation, it makes it a lot easier."

The county has 12 foster homes. It's also looking for more people to step up.

"I think most of the foster parents want to ... make sure that these kids have somewhere to go and that they can stay in their local community," Siefring pointed out.

Children who are placed locally have less distance to travel for visits with their biological parents and can continue to see their friends.

"We want the kids to actually stay in their own school if they can. The less changes that child has, the better off they're going to be," Siefring said.

To become a foster guardian, people must be at least 21 years old and obtain a license after 36 hours of training. Classes are typically held on Saturdays in Piqua or Troy. People can be single or married, homeowners or renters.

"You just have to have bed space for that child," she said.

Siefring stresses that she reviews homes to ensure a proper environment. She also speaks with potential foster parents for several hours, learning their whole story from birth, including parenting experiences. Foster parents also must undergo criminal background checks.

Most applicants, though, are approved.

"It's a lot of work. You have to be committed before You even get to that point," she said, noting some drop out during the intensive interview process.

Foster parents are paid a daily rate, usually from $26.50-$37.50 per day.

"We can pay up to $52 a day depending on that child's needs," Siefring said.

The county also pays for other expenses, Mercer County Job and Family Services Director Angela Nickell said.

"The Medicaid card is there, so there's no medical bills," she said. "We pay for transportation. We pay for child care. We do pay for a lot of school activities."

A small allowance also covers clothing and Christmas and birthday gifts.

The department's budget, Nickell said, "is really kind of open-ended depending on the needs of the children."

"You have to keep in mind that we're only going to be reimbursed (by the state) for two-thirds of that so the (county) commissioners have to put in for the rest. It comes from the general fund."

The birth parents maintain the right to choose a child's religious affiliation, but most are willing to allow their offspring to attend services with the foster parents, Nickell said.

Most foster children have never had a church affiliation and seem to have a spiritual hunger, she noted.

"The foster parents cannot force the child to attend," Siefring pointed out. "Most of the times we don't have that problem. Most of the kids will attend if the rest of the foster family is attending and everybody is enjoying it."

The county is always looking for more foster parents. Nickell said she would like to have at least 24 homes available.

"Some of our foster parents are getting older. They've been doing it for a long time so they retire," Siefring said.

Also, because foster parents have the option of choosing the gender and ages of the children they take into their homes, often additional foster parents are needed, Siefring said.

"Right now we only have two families in Mercer County that take kids ages 10 to 18," she said.

Nickell also pointed out that not all Mercer County foster homes are licensed here. Some are registered with surrounding counties or private foster care systems. The county has no jurisdiction over those homes, she noted.

Though foster families know they likely will provide temporary care, sometimes permanent adoption is possible.

Just recently, the Siefrings adopted their second child.

"Our second case we took on, I ended up adopting him," Tonya Siefring said. "Our last placement, he was in permanent custody already when we took placement of him so we knew we were going to adopt him the day he came into our home."