The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-07-12
FOSTER-HOAIES FOR

FOSTER-HONES FOR
Continued From Page Onel
carry on ! child welfare program
|in Key West and the county BE-
cause Of the $500 appropriation
for the work made III tie 1952-53
county budget. Every penny Of
that county fund goes on actual
child care, none On salary or ad-
lministrative expenses.
With the money, Mrs. Strahorn
told me yesterday, she hopes to
| finance the permanent foster-care
LOT about five children.
Her first problem is to find fam
lies here in the county who are
mot only DESTROYS Of taking care Of
| foster child, but who because 81
Iproven good adjustment to each
Iother are capable Of the role of
Ifoster-parents.
The county pays about $733 .
year to each family for the h0us-
ing. feeding, emergency medical
care and clothing Of child who
lis placed with foster-parents.
One of the requirements Of ! f0s-
|ter family IS that this $733 not be
an essential part Of their income,
Mrs. Strahorn said. The family
should not, ii other words, accept
4 foster-child merely to increase
its income.
That this Is not the case will be
closely checked by Mrs. Strahorn|
who win consult frequently with
any family who takes on foster
child.
I'VE win see that any child Is
placed with ! family Of the same
religious and racial background,
Mrs. Strah0rn said.
Right now there are children
waiting to be placed IN foster care,
since only three have found per
Emanent foster homes.
Permanent is 4 misleading
word Ia the sense that the aim
Is for children to be restored to
their own blood families when and
Is the latter become rehabilitated.
Adoption does not follow foster
care placement. The parents are
still alive and the hope Of all OIL
Gals Is that they win reach ! po-
sition where they can be reunited
with their children.
Mrs. Strahorn win work closely
with Juvenile Court Judge Eva
Warner Gibson who has charge Of
|referral Of children following
hearings before her.
In addition to placing children Of
broken families in foster homes,
Mrs. Strahorn win work to restore
runaways to their home states and
parents.
This poses neat problem, since
there are no detention quarters In
Key West for juveniles, In which
Ito keep them pending their return
10 their parents.
'sIt d difficult to ask foster-par-
ents to accept rsInaways who may
lbo hard to handle. So wen have
Ito figure some practical solution, Z
INrs. Strahorn said.
Al graduate Of Tulane School Of
Social work with 4 Masters de-
nee, Mrs. Strahorn Is the only
trained case worker with children
| IN the county.
she hopes that starting Monday
morning her phone 1t the Welfare
Ioffice. loI. win ring steadily with
potential foster-parcnts. First In
Iterview takes place 1t the Office
lon Caroline street 20 families can
learn the set-up there. Next are
linterviews In the foster parents
home, % that Mrs. Strahorn can
Isee the family setting. Foster par
lents can BE childless or have 9TH
Ter children in he family. Their are
does not matter either.
As i matter II fact we lind
Isome very successful middle axed
Iccuples whose own children have
IKrOwn and rome away. They have
lpruven their capabilities with their
IOwn children and can move en- u
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