How Do Foster Homes Work?
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Background
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Foster care systems are typically run by individual states as a part of their departments of social services. The purpose of foster homes is to provide a safe, stable environment for children exposed to abuse or otherwise unsatisfactory home environments. The goal of foster care is to have the children in question returned to the biological parents (referred to as "reunification") or, barring that, to place them with adoptive parents. To facilitate reunification, the biological parents of a foster child will often be provided with a list of things they must do in order to have their children returned to them. Though every case is different, common requirements to regain custody include finding and keeping a job for a period of time, cleaning or repairing the home to meet health and safety requirements and possibly undergoing counseling.
Requirements
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Those seeking to become foster parents are required to undergo a licensing process prior to having a child placed with them. The regulations governing foster parent licensing are determined on a state-by-state basis, but most states have a similar set of requirements. Potential foster parents are typically fingerprinted and undergo a background check. They are given child safety courses to take while at home. There are also mandatory classroom hours that must be met. Foster parents usually need first aid certifications. Medical clearances for all members of the foster home are normally requested too. Most states require that the foster parents submit a statement that they will forego the use of physical punishments with any foster children placed with them. Foster parents do receive some compensation, though it is considered insufficient by many for the purposes of covering the foster child's basic needs.
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Placement
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The process of placing a child in foster care begins when a child is removed from the custody of a parent or legal guardian. This is done on what is called an "emergency basis" and generally follows some form of abuse, neglect or abandonment. The emergency nature of child removal can pose problems for the foster parents with whom the child or children are placed. Foster children often arrive with no records (medical or otherwise) and no personal belongings but what they are wearing.
In general, the role of the foster parent is to provide basic needs for the foster child. This typically entails providing food and clothing, attending to the child's personal hygiene and enforcing school attendance. Foster parents are also required to take the child for visitation with the biological parent or parents.
The Court
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After the child has been placed in foster care, social services will see to it that a court date is set to determine the short-term fate of the child. In some cases, the child will be returned to the parent or legal guardian, while in other cases there are requirements that must be met prior to the return of the child. Federal law mandates that children should be returned to their parents whenever possible. If reunification with the parent or legal guardian proves impossible, foster children are usually moved into the adoption system.
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