Be a Foster Parent

To be a foster parent you must be sure it is a challenge you are ready for. Foster parenting takes time, money and the right personality.

Things You'll Need

• Phone Books
• Telephones
• Pens

Instructions

1. Think about whether you would be able to care for children in your home for months or even years and then say goodbye to them and return them to their parents, who may have abused them in the past.

2. Consider your family. If you have children at home, will they be able to handle the changes foster children will bring to the home?

3. Understand that you need to have time to care for foster children. If you are very busy, you may not be able to devote the necessary amount of time.

4. Know that although foster parents receive financial compensation, it is not a way to get rich or even make some extra money. Many foster parents find that they spend more money caring for the children than they receive from the state.

5. Realize that foster care usually does not mean you will be caring for a sweet little baby. You may have hostile teenagers, depressed grade-schoolers and undisciplined preschoolers placed in your home.

6. Contact your local department of social services or human services to obtain information about becoming a foster parent.

7. Understand that to be a foster parent, you need to be approved by your state and become part of an agency. Placements are made by the social services department through agencies.

8. Look in your phone book for the names of foster care agencies in your area. Call them and talk to them about becoming a foster parent.

9. Talk to some foster parents to get an idea of what the reality of foster care really is.

10. Undergo the necessary training program run by agencies in your area or through the social services department.

11. Begin the application process with your local agency. Be prepared for some tough quesitons about your lifestyle, your abilities and your motives.

12. Allow agency workers to inspect your home - through both scheduled and unscheduled visits.

13. Be prepared to make changes to your home to make it safe or appropriate for foster children.

14. Believe that helping a child who needs a home is one of the greatest and most unselfish ways you can make a difference in the world.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't feel bad if you decide that foster parenting is not for you. There are many other ways you can help children in your community. Volunteer at a school or make donations of food and clothing to local shelters.