ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There are many children in the care system waiting for more permanent living arrangements and recently, the Liberal Police Department has begun a program to help with just that.
The LPD is looking for temporary caregivers for children who are awaiting a long-term arrangement. These are children who are facing difficult situations due to abuse or neglect, and the caregivers are able to provide a safe and nurturing environment for these children when they need it most. Anyone interested in signing up will need to contact Dalanie Underwood at
Underwood said the project has been in the works for a while.
“This is something that has always been a necessity. We have families who are able to help out, but we are always looking to expand that list. We figured we would put it out to our community and see who is willing/able to help,” Underwood said. “These kids are coming out of difficult situations and they deserve a warm, caring, nurturing home. This is one step in the process to ensure that they are able to get that long-term, and even a span of a few days can make such a difference in these children’s lives.”
Underwood said there has already been quite a response since the LPD’s initial announcement of the program.
“We have seen a lot of interest since posting on our Facebook, which is great. That means we are expecting to see quite a few applications come in, which will give us a large pool of available placements, which is also great to see,” Underwood said. “Temporary caregivers should have available bedrooms for the kid(s) to sleep, they will need to have the ability to transport them to their court date, follow-up medical appointments, or interviews with law enforcement.”
Overall, Underwood said, she hopes to continue seeing that support for the program.
“This is an ongoing program. Community members can start and stop at any time and is completely voluntary,” Underwood said. “This has always been a necessity for all law enforcement agencies, and we are happy to see that our community is willing to help out. If anyone has any questions about any part of this program, they are more than welcome to contact us at the Liberal Police Department, and we’ll be happy to guide them in the right direction.”
