Norfolk Friends of Foster Care is off to a great start in large part due to our close relationship with the Norfolk Department of Human Services (NDHS). Through our contacts there, we are able to guide potential foster parents in the right direction and provide resources for foster parents and children after placement.
This month we’re highlighting some of the wonderful people we work alongside at DHS.
Meet Camille Campos-Wilson, a member of our NDHS Advisory Board:
Camille is the Office Manager at the Foster Care and Adoption Unit at DHS. She also functions as the Community Resource Coordinator, attending local community events for outreach and recruitment of potential foster parents.
Four years ago, Camille was working on the resource team as an administrative assistant. She knew that as DHS “closed” parents to foster children because they had taken in the maximum number of children per home, there weren’t enough parents to take in all of Norfolk’s foster children. Speaking with Camille, you can hear the passion and concern in her voice. It makes sense that when she saw the need for more foster parents, she took on the task.
Camille and a team of like-minded coworkers (who weren’t even connected to the same unit!) began working after-hours without pay to reach out to potential foster parents and steer them away from preconceived notions about foster care. Their team had no budget for recruitment, and were constantly hitting a wall when they sought out funding. This is where Norfolk Friends of Foster Care comes into play, providing resources for foster children and making it easier for parents to bring foster children into their homes.
“I continue to go to places like the Norfolk Zoo, Norfolk Tides baseball games and the Aquatic Center to speak directly to people and provide information on becoming a foster parent,” says Camille. Even when people do not have the ability to foster at the moment, they often still want to provide help in any way they can. Camille stays in contact with foster parents even after placement, and stands as the main line of communication between DHS and NFFC.
Thank you, Camille, for all that you do for Norfolk Friends of Foster Care and the Norfolk Department of Human Services!
