At any given point, there are nearly half a million children in the foster care system, with more children needing foster parents than available foster parents. Becoming a foster parent means providing a healthy, safe, and stable home to a child in need of just that. While becoming a foster parent is incredibly rewarding, it's also challenging. It's important to be prepared before becoming a new foster parent, and these three tips should help:
1. Research the Foster Care Training Process
The foster care training process follows local and state regulations and can vary by location, so it's important to do your research before signing up. Generally, you can expect to attend classes before becoming a licensed foster care parent. These classes will be very useful, as you will learn practical tips for how to handle different situations that can arise when fostering a child, as well as what resources are available.
You will learn what the process is like for being assigned a foster child and how you will work with local agencies as well as your own caseworker. Finally, you will most likely also be required to schedule home visits, where a foster care expert visits your home and identifies any areas of improvement that need to be made to ensure your home is ready for a child.
2. Free Up as Much Time as Possible
Once you become a foster parent, you can expect to spend a great deal of time each week helping your child. Not only will you need to have time for normal parenting tasks, like playing with the child, reading to them, and getting them ready for bed, but you will likely also have additional appointments. For example, you may have weekly meetings with your child's therapist or doctors, as well as meetings with your caseworker.
For these reasons, it's a good idea to free up as much time as possible until you get into a good schedule with your foster child. You may want to hire someone to do lawn care or clean your home or consider a meal delivery service for a while. Taking some time off from work or temporarily going down to part-time can be helpful as well.
3. Take Care of Your Own Emotional Wellbeing
Caring for a child who has most likely experienced some major life disruptions and possibly trauma can be emotionally overwhelming. Remember that you need to take care of your own emotional wellbeing to fully be there for your foster child. This may be having a friend you can confide in each week or seeing a professional counselor regularly.
By following these tips and signing up for the foster care training process in your city, you will be beginning your journey as a new foster parent in the best possible way. Contact companies like Kids Count Too for more information.
Share13 January 2021
Welcome to my website. My name is Julia Linder. I’m the single mother of two young children ages two and five. I work full-time and have had to have child care for my babies since they were infants. I’m a firm believer in finding child care that provides a stimulating environment for toddlers. Of course, the number one thing I look for is a safe place. Then I observe the child care while children are present. I want to see how staff interacts with the children. Another important factor for me is that my children are well socialized. I’d like to share in more detail about finding the right day care for your toddler. I hope what I share proves to be helpful to you.