Who are Foster Children? Foster children are children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse, abandonment or neglect. In addition, infants who test positive for drugs at birth are detained and placed into foster homes.
What do Foster Parents Do? The foster family provides the home environment in which a child can safely fulfill their physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural potentials, therefore becoming responsible adults. They provide food, clothing, housing, supervision, recreation, and transportation to needed services such as therapy, doctor and dental visits. Most of all, foster parents provide nurturance, stability and love.
Can I pick the Age, Gender and Ethnicity of the Child I’d like to Work With? Yes. Children of all ethnicities from newborn to the age of 18. You must decide whom will fit best in your family, based on your child care accommodations and natural children you may already have in your home.
Can I adopt the Foster Children in My Home? Possibly. Once the court system determines the child will not be able to return to their birth parents or a family member, foster families who are dually prepared (able to meet the requirements for both foster parenting and adoption) are most often given the first option to adopt that child/children.
How Do I Know if Foster Parenting is Right for My Family and Me?
• Can you love and care for a child who has come from a difficult background?
• Can you help a child feel that they belong in your home even if their stay may be temporary?
• Can you love a child who, because of a fear of rejection, does not easily make loving gestures?
• Are you secure in yourself and your parenting skills?
• Can you set clear limits, and be both firm and understanding in your discipline?
• Do you view bed-wetting, lying, defiance, and minor destructiveness as
symptoms of a child in need?
• Can you accept assistance and guidance from trained social workers?
• Can you maintain a positive attitude toward a child’s parents?
If you can say, “Yes” to these questions, then there are children out there who need you.
To learn more about foster parenting or adoption please call Robin Monroe, M.A. Certification Coordinator, Inner Circle Foster Care and Adoption Services at 818-988-6300 ext 212 or send an email to robinm@fosterfamily.org .