NORWICH – After a meeting with Chenango County’s Department of Social Services, Improve Norwich Now (I.N.N) is on track to partner with an organization called Fostering Futures to help foster children and parents throughout the county.

According to Improve Norwich Now Co-Founder Jen Westervelt, the Fostering Futures Program focuses on evidenced-based intervention methods to improve children’s behavior and reduce foster parenting stress.

Westervelt said currently there are approximately 50 to 60 children in foster care throughout Chenango County, and nearly half of those children will face being returned to the department of social services from their new families.

“There are a couple of reasons why it happens,” said Westervelt. “There are economic constraints, people sometimes struggle with parenting children with complicated backgrounds, to name a few.”

She said the Fostering Futures Program could help families deal with stress by giving parents and children a break by doing things like providing a sympathetic ear or a night out.