The state of Mississippi is looking for families willing to open their home to children in need.

“We have thousands of children in Mississippi and hundreds of foster parents,” Warren County Youth and County Court Judge Johnny Price said.

Anyone who thinks they would be willing to house foster children is invited to attend a one-hour meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Warren County Courthouse Circuit Courtroom, 1009 Cherry St.

During this meeting people can learn everything that is expected of a foster parent.

“There is no obligation,” Price said. “Everything that they need to know about the requirements, the duties and the obligations is going to be explained.”

Price said it is important to remember that foster care is temporary, from days to years, and does not necessarily lead to adoption.

“Reunification is the law,” Price said. “That’s one of the toughest parts of being a foster parent.”

After this meeting a person can decide whether or not they would like to continue the journey of becoming a foster parent.

Price said one in four typically choose to pursue foster family certification.

Those who would like to commit to becoming a foster family can fill out an application online and then attend a three-day training session Oct. 21 through Oct. 23 at Mississippi College in Clinton.

“The nuts and bolts of their requirements will be done at the training session,” Price said.

He emphasized one important fact: to attend the training session a person must attend the initial meeting.

“You have to attend the orientation. You can’t just go straight to the training,” he said.

After the training session, a background check, paperwork and interviews should take place within 90 days.

“We have been assured that those who are going to qualify are going to be qualified and certified within 90 days,” Price said. “This is quick. It’s streamlined. The three day training session is a federal government requirement.”

He said in the past it took about a year, sometimes longer, and a lot of endurance to become a qualified foster parent.

“The training sessions were lengthy, spread out over a long period of time; It was very discouraging and ineffective. That is all changed, and it all changed within the last several months,” Price said.

The choice to recruit more foster families started when the Child Protective Services division was created out of the Department of Human Services.

State Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam has worked with an initiative called Rescue 100 and faith-based organizations to increase the number of foster parents in the state.

“Justice Beam has launched this massive effort and it has already worked very successfully in Harrison County on the coast and also up in Forrest County in the Hattiesburg area,” Price said. “Even though statewide it is a faith based effort, you do not have to be affiliated with any church in order to qualify.”

He said the initiative is working to get 100 new foster families in seven central Mississippi counties.

“There’s no better time to be a foster parent than now,” Price said.