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Athens Co. Joining Discussion About Foster Care Issues
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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Children's agencies in Ohio are being asked to talk more about children held up in foster care.
Attorney General Mike Dewine led a panel discussion recently in hopes of starting a discussion in all counties around the state.
Andrea Reik, the Executive Director of Athens County Childrens Services, says that Dewine started these new forums after a child died in Hamilton County.
"Looking at the issues of child safety, children in foster care, how long are they in foster care, and what about the youth that are aging out of foster care," says Reik.
Reik thinks that these forums will help resolve some of the current problems with foster care.
"I think it brings more public awareness to the issue. Number one, we need adoptive parents and foster parents and also the complexity of dealing with families and making decisions about child safety and when it's safe to go home or never to return," says Reik.
Dewine says that the end goal of these forums is to increase the number of adoptions in Ohio.