Foster Care FAQ

Foster Care Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is specialized Foster care?
"Specialized" indicates these children have emotional and behavioral problems serious enough to interfere with their success in traditional Foster Care settings.Specialized foster parents must appreciate and understand that Foster children require specialized and intensive parenting.

2. What kind of services will you receive as a foster parent?
As a Specialized Foster Parent you will receive the following:

• Clinical Support
  Due to the needs of our children, each child is assigned a Case Manager and Therapist to work closely with you and the child, to ensure all their needs, as well as yours, are met.
• Personal Support
  You are as important to us as our children.We have staff on-call24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist with all emergencies.
• Training
  You will receive training during the licensure process. Trainings are thenoffered on a monthly basis to satisfy a 10 hour per year requirement for continued licensure.Sometimes you will receive additional training to care for children with different needs.
• Financial Support
  Foster parents receive a monthly payment to cover the child's food, shelter, clothing, personal allowance, and extra curricular activities.
• Medical Support
  Each foster child receives a medical card (Medicaid) that pays for most necessary medical care and prescriptions.

3. What are the requirements of a foster parent?
a. Foster parents must be at least 21 years of age, have income to financially support their household and be in good physical and mental health.
b. They must be willing to support foster children's contact with their biological parents and cooperate with the agency's efforts to reunite them with their families or prepare them for permanent homes through adoption.
c. Children are placed in foster homes by matching their needs with the foster parent's or families situations. You will never be asked to accept a foster child you are not prepared to help. You select the level of needs and age group of the children you would like to foster.

4 .What types of kids are waiting to be placed in foster care? Specialized foster kids come from many ethnic and racial backgrounds. They typically have been separated from their biological families because of neglect and abuse. They have emotional wounds to heal. They often have survival skills but few social skills.However, they share one common thread. All of these children need a loving family and a place to call home.

5. Does it cost a lot of money to be a foster parent?
No! Foster parents receive monthly compensation per child and:
a. The child or children are totally covered for medical and dental services.
b. You receive free specialized training from experienced clinical staff.

6. What types of people are Foster Parents?
Everyday people just like you are fostering children You DO NOT need to be rich or married to be a foster parent. You DO need to want to provide a nurturing, safe and loving environment to a child. .

7. I'm over 60. Am I too old to become a Foster Parent?
Absolutely not! We have grandparents who are specialized foster parents

8. How long does it take to become a Foster Parent?
The process will take anywhere from 4 to 5 months.It is a very comprehensive and invasive process.It takes total commitment on the part of your entire family. There are mandatory trainings, assessments and an interview process.NOTE: This is a “selective” process. At any time, either party (ie, potential foster parent or the agency) is able to “select” out. Sometimes, not all applicants become Foster Parents.

9. Is every foster child eventually reunited with his or her biological family?
No. Reunification is not always possible. Sometimes the parents are deceased. Sometimes one or both parents suffer from chronic mental illness, are incarcerated, or cannot successfully recover from addictions. There are many variations of reasons “why” reunification , at times, is not possible. In such cases, the goal is to find an adoptive home or a guardian for the child.

10. Do foster parents ever adopt a foster child or become her/his guardian?
Yes. This has happened when the child cannot be reunited with his or her biological parents and the legal system has terminated the biological parent’s parental rights. Rather than moving the child to another foster home, many foster parents decide to become the child's guardian or to adopt the child.

11. What is the role of a Foster Parent?
Foster parents:Protect and Nurture, and give children a healthy, temporary environment to thrive and heal.

• Connect children to safe, nurturing relationships.
• Meet children's individual, educational, medical and developmental needs.
• Support children's relationships with their birth families.
• Work as members of a professional team. Foster parenting requires a strong commitment and a lot of hard work. Children who are suddenly uprooted from their homes are often upset and need extra understanding and patience. Your role as a foster parent is to provide stability and a loving and safe environment for each child in your care, on a temporary basis, until...
  

Can you do these things and more? If so, you may be ready to be a foster parent!

For more information on becoming a Foster Parent:
Call:1-877- FOSTER YES or Submit your information now. Click Here.