From staff reports
For those looking to make a difference in the lives of children, becoming a foster parent provides an opportunity to help a child in need.
Youth Villages is currently in need of caring adults in the Trussville area to open their homes to children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment. These children need families who will care for them until they can return to their birth families or an adoptive family is found for them.
A Trussville historical marker
file photo by Ron Burkett
Youth Villages offers free training classes for those interested in becoming foster parents. Training classes help new foster parents learn how to address a child’s emotional and behavioral problems, as well as parenting and discipline techniques.
Free training classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Sept. 23. All information sessions and training classes will be held at the Youth Villages office, located at 600 Beacon Parkway W., Suite 800, Birmingham, AL 35209.
Youth Villages provides foster parents with 24-hour access to counselors, support groups and a monthly stipend to offset the cost of adding a child to the home. Foster parents also often have the first right to adopt if the child becomes available for adoption.
Foster parents should be over the age of 25 and residents of Alabama. Foster parents should have viable income, reliable transportation and be able to pass a background check and home study.
For more information, contact foster parent recruiter LaRita Smith at 205-917-2960 or larita.smith@youthvillages.org.
