There are many people who want to foster a child. However, they have no idea what steps to take or what is expected of them. Here are some of the things that a person must know before becoming a foster parent.
The Facts
The children in foster care range from birth to 21. Their care can range from a couple days to a year, or even longer. There are often many foster families who are willing to take in infants and single children, but not many willing to take in sibling groups or older children. There are many reasons for this. Some families cannot afford to take more than one child, or they do not have the room for a sibling group. Foster parents often want an infant because they have not been affected by their time in the system. Therefore, foster parents willing to foster these children are in high demand.
The Process and Requirements
Young foster mother and two girls looking at the capricious girl while relaxing outdoors on a summer day.
A foster parent must be at least 21 and pass a background check, as well as being physically healthy. There are five to six visits to your home within a 10 to 12-week period. During this, interviews will be conducted with everyone living in the house. The interviewers will explain the responsibilities of fostering and determine whether you are right for fostering. It is also used to determine the tone of the house and the personality of the people living in it. This can help to determine whether the home would be a good environment for a foster child and the personality of the child that would be best placed in the home.
Should both the interviewers, and the potential foster family, decide to go forward safety inspections will be conducted. If there are any safety concerns the applicants will be required to address them before being allowed to foster. Training which is conducted either at home or at the office will be required before receiving the approval to foster.
Learn More About Becoming a Foster Parent in Kansas
Many states have moved towards “dual licensing” this allows the parents to be approved for both adoption and fostering. The reasons for this is that “dual licensing” helps to avoid delays, and eases the procedures involved with foster parent adoption. This is beneficial as most kids are adopted by their foster parents., which allows the children to remain stable and for a family bond to develop. If you are interested in joining the thousands of foster families in the state contact us.