Number of kids in Arkansas foster care tops 5K

LITTLE ROCK -- Officials say the number of children in foster care Arkansas has reached an all-time high at over 5,000.

Division of Children and Family Services director Mischa Martin says the number reached about 5,050 earlier this month.

From March 2015 to March 2016, the number of children in foster care increased from over 4,000 to nearly 5,000, but the state has reversed a trend of losing foster families every quarter, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

According to the latest reports from the division, about 56 percent of children enter foster care due to substance abuse by their caregiver. The report notes that many children enter foster care for more than one reason.

"We've really collaborated with our partners to help them increase the number of foster homes we have," Martin said. "We're trying to streamline the (foster bed) opening process, increase communication with our partners, and work through some technical issues that we've had in the past to make sure we've got the most homes open."

Martin said working with outside groups such as The Call is important to her strategy to manage the increasing numbers. The Call is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes Christian families to foster or adopt children under the division's care.

"We're all feeling a little bit of the strain of the number of people in foster care, and we're glad that we're making progress, but as much progress as we've made, we have more children in care now," said Lauri Currier, The Call's executive director.

Currier said that her organization is responsible for about 600 of the 1,500 foster families in the state.

State Desk on 08/23/2016

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