There are many children in need of a good foster parent. It is possible that you have heard a radio ad or seen an internet or newspaper ad requesting your consideration for the role of foster parent. You may have heard that there are thousands of children who are in need of a loving home. You may have also heard that you could be compensated for opening your home to these children. These statements are certainly true, but with most things they require more explanation. There are three very important things that you must understand before you give foster parenting serious consideration.
First of all, you must have time to dedicate to the children. Foster children are children who are wards of the state in which they live. This means that the state has jurisdiction over all decisions that are made about that child. A child who is in foster care or out of home placement, as it is sometimes referred to, may have to attend appointments with mental health professionals, speech and language pathologists, and tutors. As a foster parent you would be responsible for making certain that the children in your home make it to these appointments. Many times these services are court ordered and you must have permission before canceling or rescheduling. In addition to this, many foster children have court ordered visitation with their birth parents and you must be available to take the children to their visits, and many times you may be required to monitor the visits.
The second thing that is important to consider before becoming a foster parent, is you must be capable of supporting yourself and your family on the income that you make. Although it is true that foster parents receive a stipend, these funds are for the care and support of the foster children that are placed in the home. These funds are not meant to be the sole financial support of the foster parent. It is expected that foster parents will pay for the majority of the child's needs utilizing the foster care stipend. The amount of the stipend is usually dependent on the age of the child and whether or not the child has special physical or emotional needs.
A third thing to consider is your personal boundaries and personality. This is something that is often overlooked when considering suitability for becoming a foster parent. As an individual or a family, there are many different things that you may gain from fostering and there are some things that you may lose.
Privacy is one very important thing that you could lose. All children in foster care are assigned to at least one social worker. Social workers are required to check on the children regularly. They may also conduct unannounced visits to your home to make certain that the children under your care are being cared for properly. If the idea of having a social worker or any other individual for that matter, come to your home on a regular basis, makes you uncomfortable, then you must understand the reason for that discomfort. It takes a very compassionate, mature, and dedicated individual to make a good foster parent. Knowing who you are and what you are willing to accept is one the most important things that you could ever determine, not just as an effective foster parent but for your life in general.
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