FAQ's About Foster Care

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Here's some of our responses to commonly asked questions in regards to foster care in tweet like form (140 characters or less).
What is foster care?
Temp. out-of-home care for children, who are removed from their homes by County Social Services due to physical & emotional safety concerns.

How long will the child stay in a foster home?
It depends on the needs of the child & their parent's participation in their treatment plan. It can vary from a few days up to 2 years.

What's the goal of  foster care?
 To protect children and strengthen families. Our efforts go towards the reunification of the family (return the child to their home).

Can we adopt?
If we were interested in adoption we could enter into a fost/adopt program. Currently we are certified as foster parents through an FFA.

What's the fost-adopt program?
The court would be headed towards terminating parental rights. It allows the children to be placed in foster homes w/ the hope to adopt.

What's an FFA?
Foster Family Agency's certify & train foster parents. Provide professional support to foster parents, & find temporary or permanent homes for children.

How many kids are in foster care in the United States?
More than half a million children & youth are in the U.S. foster care system.
 *Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support 

What does it take to become foster parents?
Every state has a different qualification process. We had to go through:
Home inspections
Prove we are physically and emotionally healthy
Be fingerprinted and cleared through the Department of Justice, Child Abuse Index, and FBI
Be willing to work with the foster child's natural family members
Be able to attend and participate in the pre-certification training programs
From the initial interview to our final home inspection, it took around 9 months.
(sorry for the lengthy response)

Do you think I could be a foster parent? I think married people with or without kids and an extra bedroom should seriously consider it.

Why? Besides the obvious...We've learned patience, sacrificial love and communication. Our eyes have been opened to poverty and a better understanding of diff. cultures and races. It has challenged our perspective of the world with an extra dose of out of the box thinking. Children don't deserve to be neglected or raised in a harmful environment. You can choose to make a difference.

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Have more questions or want more info? Email us!