When a child must be removed from their parent’s care because of abuse, neglect or exploitation, the first thought of child welfare workers is to restore some semblance of safety and normalcy as quickly as possible.
The best way to accomplish that is to place the traumatized child into the loving arms of a parent or family who will love, nurture, protect and care for the infant, toddler, children or teenager – until the birth parent is able to do the same.
“The problem is, we don’t have enough foster parents in all areas of our state to care for these precious children,” said Jess H. Dickinson, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services. “If we do nothing else, we must do everything within our power to recruit, train, license and support these wonderful foster parents who do such extremely important and life-changing work for our state.”
To that end, Rescue 100 works daily as a collaborative effort between the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, the courts and churches representing all denominations across the state of Mississippi. These organizations work together to streamline the training and licensing process for foster families. Rescue 100 is committed to recruiting, training and supporting foster families who provide loving homes for children in the state foster care system. Rescue 100 trains and equips foster families through online training courses and a one-day training to expedite licensing their homes so they can care for children in need of a stable and loving home environment. Orientation sessions and training are held throughout the year in all parts of the state.
Mississippi currently has almost 5,000 children in foster care. There is a critical need for hundreds and hundreds more foster families to care for them and provide them with a safe, stable and loving home environment.
Rescue 100 was begun in Gulfport in 2016 as a faith-based initiative led by Pastor Tony Karnes of Michael Memorial Baptist Church in response to the need for 100 new foster families in his community. The success of the first Rescue 100 event, which trained 50 families to become licensed foster homes, then inspired leaders to expand the program statewide. In January 2018, MDCPS brought the program in-house and is currently recruiting and training would-be foster parents in all parts of Mississippi.
Five orientation sessions are planned in February for the Meridian and surrounding area with a one-day training session to be held Cornerstone Church of God on Saturday, March 23, 2019 in Meridian.
To register for the orientation sessions, go to the Rescue 100 webpage at: www.mdcps.ms.gov/rescue100.
All orientation sessions will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. At orientation, individuals interested in possibly becoming a foster parent will have the opportunity to ask questions. They will also learn more about what foster care involves, what a foster parent is, the children who are in foster care and the types of situations that put them there, things to consider and information about the licensing process and what is involved and required. Attendance at an orientation session is required before an individual can enroll for Foster Care/Rescue 100 training.
“This is a great, no-commitment-required opportunity to explore the possibilities of foster care and decide if this is something you may be interested in pursuing,” said Sabrea Smith, director of Faith-based and Volunteer Services for MDCPS.
Upcoming Orientation Sessions are:
- First Baptist Church Laurel, MS on Monday, February 4, 2019
-First Methodist Church Louisville, MS on Tuesday, February 5, 2019
-First Baptist Church Philadelphia, MS on Monday, February 11, 2019
-Life Church Columbus, MS on Monday, February 11, 2019
-Life Baptist Church Meridian, MS on Tuesday, February 12, 2019
-Cornerstone Church of God Meridian, MS on Tuesday, February 19, 2019
For more information, call Sabrea Smith at 769-798-3586. Information about Rescue 100 is also available on the website at www.mdcps.ms.gov/Rescue100.
