Step1
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.
Step2
Consider your family. If you have children at home, will they be able to handle the changes foster children will bring to the home?
Step3
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.
Step4
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.
Step5
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.
Step6
Contact your local department of social services or human services to obtain information about becoming a foster parent.
Step7
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.
Step8
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.
Step9
Talk to some foster parents to get an idea of what the reality of foster care really is.
Step10
Undergo the necessary training program run by agencies in your area or through the social services department.
Step11
Begin the application process with your local agency. Be prepared for some tough quesitons about your lifestyle, your abilities and your motives.
Step12
Allow agency workers to inspect your home - through both scheduled and unscheduled visits.
Step13
Be prepared to make changes to your home to make it safe or appropriate for foster children.
Step14
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.
Comments
mommycountry7 said
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
Anonymous said
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.
Anonymous said
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?
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 It is without a doubt the closest you can come to doing the work of Jesus on this earth. Loving the abused, hostile, and scared. If you want to leave this world a better place than it was when you came, change a little one's life! I love it. I have an eight year old girl. She is the center of our lives.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 It is the most rewarding thing you will ever do. If you're worried about out-of-control kids, request an infant.