MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services Home Finding Team will offer a foster parent open house on Thursday, Jan. 14 from 6 to 7 p.m. and a second session from 7 to 8 p.m.

The sessions will take place virtually via Zoom.

During the event, attendees will learn about the various foster care and adoption programs and meet the Home Finding Team. The open houses are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

Foster care services in Chautauqua County provide out-of-home care for children in the custody of the Commissioner of Social Services. Foster care plays an important role in providing temporary, safe and nurturing homes to children when their parents are unable to care for them. Children are placed in foster homes in situations where they have been removed from their own families because they have been abused and/or neglected or because other family problems exist that endanger their safety. The children may range from infancy through 18 years of age and may have special medical, physical or emotional needs; the children may belong to any ethnicity or race and be part of a group of brothers and sisters who need to remain together.

“In Chautauqua County, there are approximately 100 children currently in foster care,” said Leanna Luka-Conley, Deputy Commissioner of Adult, Children, and Family Services. “Becoming a foster parent is a rewarding and challenging opportunity to change someone’s life. Children of all ages in our own communities are in need of “professional parents” to give them a good, temporary home and a chance to succeed in life.”

For more information, email Sara Johnson at johnsons@co.chautauqua.ny.us or visit www.chqhhs.com or CCFosterParent on Facebook.