How to 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.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Phone Books
• Phone Books
• Telephones
• Pens
• Pens

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.

Who Can Help:

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[smartz]

on 4/10/2009 I am a foster parent who is adopting three boys with FAS. You did a great job on this!

[myrtlebeachsis]

on 1/24/2009 I am interested in the foster parent but you gave a lot of things to think about. Some of my draw back is right now I do have another family living with us so it is not a good time for a child. But than I am afraid of that I maybe to old to care for a child. I have 5 children of my own, and I raised my 2 sisters from the My age of ten. I have a Grandchild but I still feel like I am missing a part of my life as my children grow up.

[mommycountry7]

on 9/19/2007 im really interested in being a foster parent I have alot of love and i know how some of the kids fill i was once in foster care and then i got adopted when i was 2 and now im 31 how do you go by being a foster parent do you fill out a application or what

on 11/22/2005 Remember that foster children come from very bad situations. They will misbehave. They will have more problems then other children. Never ridicule them or blame them, it is not their fault. Also, remember that if you already have children, you must treat all the children in your home equally. This means clothes, toys, activities and especially affection. Think of the money the state gives you as extra help. Do not become a foster parent if you cannot or will not spend money on your foster children.

on 11/22/2005 Foster parenting, and adopting children who are not infants, requires a thick skin and the ability to learn how to parent on the run. You must be able to be open to learning how to parent an older child quickly. There is lots of help available, but you must be able to ask for it. People will tell you you are crazy but the thing about fostering is that you make a huge difference in a child's life, even if they return home. You have exposed them to a better life. What else could be better? Is there a greater gift you can give anyone?