That was particularly true in the Boulder City Children's Home's cottages, each of which housed up to 10 children. Gerald Robinson, the state's foster parent recruiter in Las Vegas, recruits applicants in libraries, shopping malls, churches, banks and fairs. Candidates must be at least 21. Marital status doesn't matter, but they have to be physically and mentally fit, maintain a clean home, have a stable income and complete 36 hours of orientation and training. Regular foster homes can take up to six children.
Recruitment is tricky, however.
Sometimes the state is looking to house children in a specific age range but can only find candidates willing to take other kids. Finding affordable day care is also an issue for many applicants. But Robinson and fellow state employee Joan Lindsey, who handles foster parent licensing, concede there are flaws in the background checks. Robinson says one of the biggest problems is that it usually takes the FBI at least three months to complete and return applicants' fingerprint checks to determine whether they have a criminal background. Lindsey says foster parent candidates are also checked for any abuse or neglect complaints filed in Nevada.