DeWine says Ohio has a critical need for foster parents

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine discusses the shortage of foster families as the opioid crisis forces more children into the child welfare system. He held a press conference in Columbus on Aug. 24, 2017.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine discusses the shortage of foster families as the opioid crisis forces more children into the child welfare system. He held a press conference in Columbus on Aug. 24, 2017.

Attorney General Mike DeWine made a plea Thursday for more Ohioans to become foster parents as the opioid epidemic continues to strain county child welfare agencies.

Calling it a “foster care crisis of immense proportions,” DeWine said children are witnessing their parents overdose every day in Ohio. When those children need to be taken into the custody of their local children’s services agency, there are fewer places for them to go.