Assessing Yourself for Foster Care

The decision to become a foster parent is one that should be made only after careful evaluation. The following information is intended to help you in that evaluation process.

This first series of questions gives some general information about foster care.

What is a foster home?

A temporary home for a child where he/she will live as a member of your family until a return home or some other permanent arrangement becomes feasible.

Who are the foster children?

Children, under 18 years old, whose parents are unable to care for them. Some may need a temporary home for only a few months, others for longer periods of time. There are children of all ages and ethnic groups. Many times there are sibling groups who should be able to stay together. Most of these children have experienced some kind of abuse and/or neglect and require care providers with skill and dedication to care for their needs. All have a great need for care, understanding, appropriate discipline, and affection if they are to become self-reliant.

Is a license required?

Yes. According to California Law, any person other than a close relative caring for a child under 18 must have a license. Licenses are issued by the Human Services Department of Sonoma County after a completed application has been approved. There is no charge for the license.

What inspections or tests are necessary?

A licensing social worker will visit you, see your home and meet all members of your family. There may be visits by a Fire Marshall or others if appropriate. All adults living in, working in, or frequenting your home must show that they are free of tuberculosis and do not have a criminal record.

Who provides medical and dental care?

Medical and dental care are provided either by the agency placing the children, or the children's own parents. Most of the children are covered by Medi-Cal.

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What is a family reunification social worker?

As an officer of the court, this social worker is responsible for the development of plans for the foster child. This usually includes services to reunify the child with his/her natural parents. This social worker will contact you at least monthly to discuss all aspects of the child's care. As a foster parent you work closely with the child’s social worker before any decisions are made related to the child’s health, emotional condition and over-all functioning.

What is a permanency planning social worker?

After a child has been out of his/her parent’s home for 12-18 months, the Juvenile Court may order adoption, guardianship, or long term foster care. The Permanency Planning social worker will work with you to achieve the determined goal. If long term foster care is the plan, the social worker is responsible for maintaining a stable, secure environment and will work with you to achieve that goal.

Who are foster parents?

Foster parents are adults who are flexible, stable, patient, and emotionally mature. They are in good health and able to have disruptions in their lives. A sense of humor is essential. Foster parents may or may not have children of their own. They may have varied educational backgrounds, be of different racial and economic groups, be married or single, and range in age from young to old.

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Foster parents are a very special group of people. They are able to accept a child as a member of their family, work to love and raise that child and then when the time comes for the child to return home, the foster parents help him/her do so. They are people who understand that children benefit most when their family is helped, strengthened and able to function in a healthy way. The process works especially well when foster parents work together with Human Services to help the birth parents become competent parents.

Please examine your own personal situation as you consider this next section.

Do you have room for another child?

This can mean two things. Do you have the physical room for another child to fit comfortably into your home and do you have the emotional room? Can your family adapt to the additional needs of another child? Sometimes, this means a willingness to alter their living space, schedule, and time they are accustomed to spending with you. Children coming into foster care often need extra tender loving care that the other family members can be most valuable in providing. A supportive family can make foster parenting a reward for all.

Can you accept different lifestyles and values?

Children in foster care come from a variety of backgrounds. Your family has learned rules over a period of time that may be unfamiliar to a newcomer. Can you tolerate differences in food preferences, levels of personal responsibility and respect? Can you stand the extra wear and tear on your house? How will the relatives react?

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Are the members of your family healthy?

You will be required to get a T.B. test by the Department but you should evaluate your family's overall health. Caring for children can often be hard work for long hours.

How stable is your family?

Every family has its problems but experts concur that the addition of a family member can be stressful. Does your family discuss problems openly and act on them? Do your current children get along fairly well and are they doing well in school? The addition of a new child may not give you enough time to work on existing problems.

The spousal relationship is extremely important. Are you prepared to work as a team to make foster care in your home a success? The strength of foster parents’ bonds to each other can be severely tested if a manipulative child perceives a weakness that can be exploited. Share the responsibility. Sometimes one of the parents can succeed with the foster child where the other has made no progress.

How are you doing as parents?

Are you successful as parents to your own children? Do you enjoy being a parent? How do your children feel about becoming a foster family? Explain your interest. Let your children know why you feel your family could be a successful foster family. Let them ask questions and make them part of the planning. They are likely to be enthusiastic if they feel they are part of the plan. After all, they are being asked to share their family and home.

What age children would best fit in with your family?

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What ages have you found to be the most rewarding and easy? Some parents don’t cope well with the demands of an infant but consider the emerging independence of a two year old exciting. Some parents find that children too close in age to their own children trigger competition and resentment, while others find that closeness in age promotes companionship.

What are your schools like?

Some foster children have experiences that have caused them to fall behind in their schoolwork. Does your school offer remedial classes and tutoring? Are they willing to work with you?

Are you looking for short-term or long-term foster care?

Do you want children who need to have a foster parent for only a few weeks or a teenager that may need care until he or she is 18? You should think of general guidelines that will best meet your needs. Your guidelines can always change depending on the situation.

In general, the primary goal of foster care is to unite the family. Therefore, much of the social worker’s efforts will be made to accomplish this plan. However, if after a year or 18 months at the most, the parents cannot care for their child in placement, then the Court will find a permanent home for the child. This means either adoption of the child, legal guardianship by a responsible person, or a permanent placement in a Foster Home. A Foster Parent is a very important person at any stage of this process to make it as successful as possible for the child. Foster Parents are willing to share themselves, their family and their home.