The Reality of the Mountain State’s Crisis

The foster care system in West Virginia is currently under immense pressure with the number of children in care reaching nearly 5,960. NECCO operates as a for-profit child placing agency across West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia to help address the urgent need for stable homes. By operating as a corporation rather than a local nonprofit, the organization is often able to provide more extensive resources and support to their foster families. These resources help ensure that children in the system have access to the best services possible while they are in the “in-between” stage of their lives.

“I saw in real life in real time how that played out for the families and for the kids.”

Breaking Down the Myths of Fostering

There are many misconceptions about who can foster and how the financial side of the system works. To become a foster parent, individuals must be at least 21 years old, pass a home safety audit, and complete extensive background checks and training. The state uses a tier system to provide daily reimbursement rates that help cover the costs of a child’s needs. These rates vary based on factors like the child’s age and specific behavioral or medical requirements, such as whether a child has a disability or a condition like diabetes. It is important to note that these funds are intended to aid the child rather than serve as a source of profit for the foster parents.

“The goal is to find and grow homes with people who can care for children, and that additional money that they receive would be supplemental to aid that child with any additional needs; it’s not as a means to try to make a profit off of that child.”

Mentorship and the Power of Showing Up

While the primary goal of foster care is almost always reunification with biological families, the system faces deep rooted issues like the opioid crisis and generational trauma. There is a critical shortage of homes for teenagers, who are sometimes unfairly viewed as being more rebellious than younger children. Fostering an older child is a unique opportunity for mentorship and can be incredibly rewarding as you help them prepare for their next steps in life. Ultimately, providing a warm and nurturing environment for a child, even if it is only temporary, can create a lasting positive impact that ripples through their entire future.

“You may not be able to make a difference in the foster care system, but you can make the difference in the life of a child.”

Want to hear the full conversation about how we can support West Virginia’s youth? You won’t want to miss the deep dive into these stories and the dedicated people from NECCO (Cyndie, Mindy, and Madison) working to fix a broken system. Watch the original video to learn more about the challenges and the hope found in foster care.