Lorain County Children Services seeks more foster parents

Lorain County Children Services is seeking more foster parents in an attempt to keep kids in the county during their court cases and, if necessary, beyond. Judith Padua, foster care recruitment coordinator for Lorain County Children Services, went before Elyria City Council this week to encourage anyone who is interested in being a foster parent or just learning more about the process to contact her office. Padua also provided a brief overview of the volume of cases Children Services dealt with in 2025. Last year, she said, the agency received 5,451 calls alleging abuse or neglect of children in the county. Of those calls, the agency found that 1,801 of them required further assessment by case workers to ensure the safety of children. This process resulted in 368 children being separated from their families and entered into either foster care or kinship care, wherein they are taken in by other family members or close family friends unassociated with the alleged abuse or neglect. When there are not enough homes to house the foster children within Lorain County, Padua said, Children Services is forced to find children housing outside of the county. "This is not ideal for the children in our community, because they are not only suffering the separation from their families, but also from their schools (and) their communities that they know," Padua told Council on Monday. "Perhaps you have thought about becoming a foster parent but never took the next step, or maybe you know someone who enjoys children and has a caring heart. Today, I am here to ask for your help." Padua said that the first step to helping or participating in the foster system was to learn more about Children Services and its foster program, and to share that new knowledge with friends and loved ones. "We cannot do this work alone," Padua said. "The children of Lorain (County) need every single one of us." Children Services holds educational sessions to provide an overview of the foster program every month, with the meetings alternating between virtual and in-person sessions. All meetings take place between 6 and 9 p.m. The next meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday and the next virtual meeting will take place on Feb. 26. Prospective foster parents must attend at least one overview session prior to the preservice training sessions in April. For the meeting schedule and more information, visit www.childrenservices.org/foster-parenting/future-foster-parents or contact Judith Padua at JudithPadua@childrenservices.org or (440) 329-5608. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.