Mary Holland, age 62 of Trappe decided she wanted to give back after her husband died and become a foster or resource parent for Talbot County Department of Social Services. Holland had worked at Walmart for 24 years but needed to stop to take care of her husband for a few years before his death. Although Holland had a daughter and three grandchildren of her own, she realized they had their own lives and were busy going in their own directions.
“In May 2021, after my husband’s death, I felt a void in my life. I felt I did a pretty good job with my daughter and thought about mentoring a child. Being a foster parent seemed like something I could do because there are children out there that need help. I thought it may also help the void I was feeling,” Holland recalled.
She added, “I realized that I still have the energy to do something else. This seemed like the right thing to do.”
Holland had watched a woman in her church who had foster children and had adopted children as well.
“I was initially thinking about older youth who are almost ready to be independent in their transition time. I thought I could be someone they could depend on,” she explained.
Holland called the Talbot County Department of Social Services in Easton to learn about the requirements for becoming a foster or resource parent. The staff sent her a link to an informational YouTube video explaining an overview of the requirements and process to become licensed. A foster or resource parent is someone who is trained and certified to provide respite care and to be both a foster parent and an adoptive parent. Instead of having someone be just one or the other, resource parents can fulfill multiple roles should the need or desire arise.
Holland then scheduled an in-home consultation with one of the department’s resource home workers. After being approved for this part of the process, she attended Parent Resource for Information Development and Education (PRIDE) training classes. Before taking in any children, foster parents receive 27 hours of extensive, pre-service PRIDE training. For Holland, this included five individual online sessions which were three hours each week, along with four online cluster classes. All participants are expected to actively participate via group work, group discussions, and asking questions throughout all training sessions.
“I found it very informative. I learned a lot about how foster parenting works today. I learned about the abuse and trauma children today were experiencing. I learned about disciplinary techniques for these children. It made me think about my commitment to doing this. After a great deal of thought, I realized I could handle it,” she reflected.
“Today’s youth need is that extra person in their life. I had a sister who was that person in my own daughter’s life. I could be that person for someone else.”
Holland is currently in the process of the SAFE family assessment process and home visits to make sure her home is suitable and safe for housing foster children.
“If you can do something to help someone in this journey, you can leave a legacy,” Holland concludes.
The next PRIDE classes on the Mid-Shore begin April 7 and will be conducted virtually. For further information about becoming a foster parent, call the Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-820-7371 or visit midshoreresourceparents.com.