Kelsi Remmell, Foster Care Coordinator in Star Valley for the Wyoming Department of Family Services, stepped into the SVI Radio studio on Monday, September 15 to discuss local needs for foster families.

(0:00) And joining me live in studio this morning is Kelsey Rammel. (0:03) Kelsey is the foster care coordinator for the Star Valley area (0:06) with the Wyoming Department of Family Services. (0:09) Kelsey, good morning, how are you today? (0:10) I’m good, thanks for having me.
(0:12) Absolutely, appreciate you stopping by. (0:13) We’ve had you on the air before, but it has been a while. (0:16) Yeah, about three years.
(0:17) Yeah, it’s time for an update, I guess. (0:19) Reminder, listeners, what you do as the foster care coordinator and what that entails. (0:23) Sure, yeah, well, I cover Star Valley area.
(0:26) I also cover Teton County and Sublette County. (0:29) And my job is to recruit new foster families to train them and get them certified (0:36) and then support them when they have kiddos in their home. (0:39) Okay, so it’s from start to all the way through, right? (0:43) And so what does that look like on a day-to-day basis for you? (0:46) Maybe just take us through a day in the life of a foster care coordinator.
(0:49) Yeah, well, I’m constantly trying to recruit. (0:53) So I reach out, I mean, to all different avenues trying to recruit new families, (0:57) just mostly keeping it in the public’s ear that we have this need in our community, (1:03) because sometimes I think people don’t know that we do. (1:06) And so the first thing we can do is educate.
(1:10) So I’m just trying to recruit by educating, keeping it in front of people. (1:15) I host trainings for foster parents, (1:19) ongoing trainings and new trainings for up and coming foster families. (1:25) And so I do that pretty regularly.
(1:28) And then I also am constantly supporting our foster families that have foster kids in their home. (1:34) I mean, any way that I can. (1:37) So if we need school supplies for the new year, (1:40) I am working with people and getting school supplies (1:43) or just sort of anything they need day-to-day life that I can be helpful with.
(1:48) Well, Kelsey, give us some of the numbers. (1:50) You mentioned it’s a bigger need than I think most of us realize. (1:53) How big is that need in Star Valley? (1:56) Well, so any given day in Wyoming, we have a thousand kids in foster care.
(2:04) Lincoln County consistently contributes to that number. (2:08) We currently only have two foster families in Lincoln County, (2:12) which, you know, three years ago. (2:15) In the whole county, not just Star Valley, the whole county? (2:17) In North Lincoln County, I’m sorry.
(2:19) So we’re split kind of because our demographic or our regional, (2:24) but I’m covering North Lincoln County. (2:27) So in Star Valley area, we have two foster families that are available. (2:32) When we spoke three years ago, I had five.
(2:35) So it just ebbs and flows depending on people moving or moving into the community (2:43) or just things that are going on in people’s lives, you know. (2:46) Um, but yeah, we, we consistently have foster kids in Lincoln County that need foster homes. (2:54) I was gonna, that was my next question.
(2:56) You have a couple of families now, but how big is the need at any given time? (2:59) What’s the average of how many kids need a foster home? (3:03) Oh, that’s so different. (3:05) And it kind of, it also has ebbs and flows. (3:09) Um, but right now we’re able to maintain the kids that need placement in foster homes.
(3:17) Um, if I were to get a call in 30 minutes, I’m not sure that I could say the same. (3:22) The need is high. (3:24) Gotcha.
(3:25) So what does it, what does it entail to be a foster parent? (3:27) What does that look like? (3:28) Yeah. (3:29) Um, taking a step back, I feel like it’s important to know what the sort of the process is with (3:36) foster care and DFS’s involvement, because that leads into foster parenting. (3:42) Um, but when a kiddo is taken into protective custody by law enforcement, (3:46) that means that in that moment, the child was not safe at home, (3:52) whether it was the home situation or the parents, the child wasn’t safe.
(3:56) So that is when DFS steps in and says, okay, we can provide a safe home for the night, (4:02) for the week, for the weekend, for a month, for however long that parent is going to need support. (4:09) So DFS supports the bio parent and they try to get them on their feet (4:12) safe as quickly as possible so that the kiddo can get home to mom and dad. (4:17) Cause that’s where we want kids.
(4:19) Um, in the meantime, while DFS supports that bio family, (4:23) we have that child placed with a foster family. (4:27) That foster family provides the day-to-day care for the child. (4:33) They try to keep that child, their lives as normal as possible.
(4:39) They’re taking them to school every day. (4:41) They’re doing the doctor’s appointments. (4:44) They’re doing all that kind of stuff.
(4:46) And so we, like I said, try to get those kiddos home as quickly as possible, as safely as possible. (4:54) Um, so with that being said, a foster placement could last two days to two weeks, (5:01) honestly, is like our norm around here. (5:05) Um, but it could last up to a year.
(5:09) It’s kind of as long as they last. (5:11) Gotcha. (5:11) Kelsey Ramble in studio this morning.
(5:13) She is the foster care coordinator in the Star Valley and Teton area for the (5:17) Wyoming Department of Family Services. (5:19) So what does the, the, the application or signup process look like then for foster families? (5:25) Um, it entails an application, um, some training that they have to do and background checks. (5:34) Um, and also a home, like some home visits from me.
(5:39) Um, but really the training is probably the most encompassing aspect of getting certified. (5:46) Um, we want to make sure that you have room in your home, obviously (5:49) that your background checks all come back clean, but the, the work, so to say, (5:55) to become a foster parent really is just in that training portion. (5:59) Gotcha.
(5:59) Yeah. (5:59) And I’m assuming the training is, is how to help with the child, (6:05) depending on the situation that just came from, right? (6:07) Exactly. (6:08) Yeah.
(6:08) How to navigate like this new legal system you might not have any idea about, but also (6:14) how to parent a child who’s upbringing is different than the child that you have in (6:19) your home that you’ve, that you’ve raised. (6:22) So that can be challenging and rewarding and a lot, and we need support in that. (6:28) And so that’s what that provides.
(6:29) Kelsey, what are some of the most common concerns that you, uh, that you come across (6:34) for those interested or trying to become a foster parent? (6:37) And then maybe, uh, tell us maybe some of the more rewarding outcomes or what, what, (6:41) what are some of the foster families telling you as far as, man, I’m so glad I did this and why? (6:48) Yeah. (6:49) Um, I think some of the concerns lie just in safety and bringing a new child into your home (6:55) is the biggest one that I think of. (6:58) Um, and I think it’s important to know that like we talked about a second ago, the foster (7:04) child comes into custody, not because of anything that they’ve done, not because of any of their (7:09) own behaviors, but because of the situation that they were in.
(7:13) So I think just keeping that in the back of your mind that, um, you know, this child (7:18) doesn’t, they’re not coming into care because they have delinquency charges or anything (7:22) like that. (7:23) It’s strictly because of their, their home. (7:27) Um, so I think if you can keep that perspective, that’s really helpful.
(7:32) But, um, yeah, I think that’s mostly just safety for your own children, which typically (7:39) that’s not an issue at all. (7:43) Some of the most rewarding stories that I’ve heard is just, I think I was really nervous (7:52) to start this process. (7:53) I didn’t know what it was going to entail.
(7:56) Um, and you don’t even know all the things you don’t know until you’re right there. (8:01) Um, but just so thankful that they took that leap and decided to do it. (8:07) Um, these kids become a part of the family.
(8:11) Like we have lifelong ties to these kids. (8:14) And so it’s really, really cool. (8:17) Even once they’ve gone home and we can see them at football games and they still come (8:21) up and give you hugs and all that kind of stuff.
(8:24) That’s very cool. (8:25) Well, Kelsey Rammel in studio this morning. (8:27) Kelsey, appreciate your time.
(8:29) Anything we missed. (8:30) I guess one final question is how does someone get started? (8:32) What do they do to reach out to you? (8:34) Yeah. (8:34) So you’ll want to reach out to me.
(8:36) There is a D a Wyoming DFS website that has a whole foster care section, which you can (8:41) put in your information and then I can access that. (8:44) Um, you can also call me directly and I have an office here in Afton by bomb guards. (8:49) Um, but my number is 3 0 7 6 9 9 4 1 9 7. (8:55) Um, and there’s also a DFS or a, it’s called foster care in Lincoln County and it’s a Facebook (9:01) page.
(9:01) And so they can access that as well. (9:04) Okay. (9:04) That’s Kelsey Rammel with the foster care coordinator with the Wyoming department of (9:08) family services.
(9:09) Kelsey, appreciate your time and information. (9:12) It’s the weekday wake up this morning on SVI radio.