A local organization wants to help better inform and train people who work with youth when it comes to children who have experienced past trauma.
The Foster Parent Association of Chatham-Kent Children’s Services held a childhood trauma training event on Saturday at Countryview Golf Course in Chatham. According to organizer Melissa Farrow, it was well attended with roughly 100 people showing up.
Farrow said the group wanted to inform the community about what trauma really is, how it affects children and why they may act in confusing ways when they come from difficult situations.
"Then we look at how we can appropriately support that child and heal their trauma," Farrow said. "We want to encourage their development and help them obtain new and more appropriate skills."
Farrow is a foster parent herself and said that many local foster parents were in attendance. She added foster parents are just one part of the network of relationships kids in foster care have.
"As helpful as it is for us as foster parents to understand the ways that trauma impacts kids, we also need them to be surrounded by [positive role models,]" Farrow said. "We talked a lot about the idea that 'it takes a village to raise a child' so we were really just looking to create opportunities for everyone to come together to learn about this topic and better support children in our communities."
According to Farrow, Chatham-Kent is in desperate need of more foster families, particularly for school-age children. She added there are a lot of kids placed in homes outside of Chatham-Kent Children's Services because there aren't enough families available to care for them within the municipality. Farrow said roughly one-third of kids are being cared for outside of Chatham-Kent's foster system.
According to the foster parent, the target audience for the event was anyone who worked with kids and wanted to improve their trauma care skills. Everyone in attendance received a certificate to show they completed the training.
Farrow said Chatham-Kent Children's Services is having an information night on February 19 for anyone interested in becoming a foster parent. Anyone looking to register can call 519-352-0440 ext. 4694.