In the filmed portion of the program, Emmy award-winning producer Paul Atkinson spends time with a foster family and at the East Valley Child Crisis Center. He also interviews Maricopa County Presiding Juvenile Court Judge John Foreman and Superior Court Commissioner Dolly Bacher. Following the filmed portion is a discussion on Arizona s foster care system with host Michael Grant, CPS Liaison Morris Greenidge, Beth Rosenberg of the Children's Action Alliance, and Chris Fickus of the East Valley Child Crisis Center. There are approximately 200 children in Maricopa County waiting in shelters due to the lack of foster homes. This is a situation that requires the attention and action of community members.
Many people believe that only married couples with homes can become foster parents.
In fact, foster parents can be single, married or divorced. They can be homeowners or apartment renters. They can have a job outside the home. They can be as young as 21, or they can be retired. To qualify for foster parenting, you must first demonstrate the qualities and attributes essential to fostering, including attentiveness, tenacity, patience and empathy, along with a willingness to grow and learn from the experience of fostering and an equal capacity to love and let go.