Foster Parent Recruitment Event Scheduled Saturday In Murrieta

MURRIETA, CA — A workshop will be held Saturday in Murrieta to recruit prospective foster parents interested in opening their homes to one or more of the thousands of youths placed in the Riverside County child welfare system due to abuse, abandonment or other circumstances.

The nonprofit Faith in Motion will join the county Department of Public Social Services to host the free two-hour event, which includes a complimentary lunch, at 10 a.m. Saturday in Centerpoint Church, 24470 Washington Ave.

A DPSS statement said that on any given day, there are about 4,000 children in Riverside County available to be placed in "out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect."

"More foster families are needed to provide safe havens. The need is especially great for children of color, sibling sets and teens," according to the statement.

There will be a bilingual panel discussion and breakout sessions, providing prospective foster providers with an opportunity to ask questions and better understand the qualifications and requirements for applicants.

Some foster parents become permanent adopters of the children they welcome into their homes, and the county hosts a mass adoption event presided over by judges and judicial commissioners every November at the downtown courthouse.

Foster parents and guardians receive monthly stipends from the state for every child they assist.

The county's child welfare system has been under scrutiny and criticism for years because of a string of incidents involving foster participants who financially exploited or abused minors.

Most recently, a Perris foster couple and their adult daughter were charged with multiple offenses for allegedly mistreating several girls placed in the county child welfare system after their natural parents, David and Louise Turpin, were imprisoned for physically abusing the youths and forcing them to live like prisoners in their own home, a case that drew national attention.

Last fall, the Board of Supervisors hired a former federal judge, Stephen Larson, and staff from his law firm to conduct an investigation into what happened to the Turpin girls, as well as probe other alleged defects in the county's child and adult protective services agencies.

Larson's findings are expected to be submitted to the board anytime.

Information regarding Saturday's event is available at www.faithinmotionrivco.org.