April 4, 2020
WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR News Source
Visitations with their birth parents have been suspended and permanent placements are being delayed. Kim Ford is the foster care supervisor for Bethany Christian Services which provides adoption and foster care services. She and others predict that more children will have a need for foster care as parents struggle to cope with lost jobs and stress because of COVID-19.
Ford, “The number is expected to grow as the stress level rises for families that are trying to stay intact. And so we’re going to see more children coming into care, especially with mental health issues, job situations, unemployment. So that is definitely a need that we’re going to see spiking.”