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SALT LAKE CITY -- An adopted 11-year-old in Sandy is recovering from exposure after running away from home for the second time in two months. Foster care officials say there is help for children and families who are dealing with such huge issues.
Officers say the 11-year-old girl had a history of running away. Liz Rivera, the Salt Lake Valley regional trainer with the Utah Foster Care Foundation, says it sounds like runaway behavior is a presenting issue.
"We would probably advise families to do exactly what this family did which was to call the police immediately, get information out about her and start looking for her."
Officers say the girl also has post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit disorder. Rivera says 80 percent of school-age kids in Foster Care are diagnosed with ADD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
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"Just because they have these diagnoses doesn't mean they are not human beings and don't need what everyone else needs. Once again there are a lot of services to help these kids to do well and, long term, do very well."
Rivera says they do training with foster families before placement and offer follow-up services after an adoption, even years later.
"We do the preparation classes for the families. And then a lot of families get therapeutic support even after an adoption is finalized to try and address specific issues and how those issues are presenting with that particular child."
She says she's glad this girl was found safely, even though it is unusual for one so young to run away to that extent.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
