64 Children Are Without Families Right Now In SWLA

According to the Department of Children and Family Services approximately 64 children are without families in the five-parish region.

KPLC reports that of those 64 kids four are infants, 13 are young children and 19 are between the ages of 5 and 9 years old, but the largest group is pre-teens and teenagers.

Stephanie Duplechain is the child welfare supervisor for the DCFS and says there's a pre-conceived idea that teenagers are more difficult, but that couldn't be further from the truth. "We've had a family who adopted a teenager when she was 18. She was 18 and her siblings were all teenagers - there were three of them. They adopted the whole sibling group to keep them in the same family," Duplechain remembers as she tells stories of families happily ever afters.

Stephanie Duplechain told KPLC that the DCFS is in "Dire need at all times for all types of families for children from all races, ethnic backgrounds, sexes and ages 0-17".

If you and your family are considering fostering or adopting you can find more information through the Department of Children and Family Services website.

[via KPLC]