Foster Care: A Complete Guide to Opening Your Heart and Home

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What is Foster Care?

Foster care offers a temporary safe haven for children who are unable to live with their biological parents for a period of time. When a child’s home is deemed unsafe, and they cannot live with relatives, the State places the child with a foster family. Foster parents are trained and monitored by the State to ensure that they provide a stable, secure, short-term home for the children in their care. 

With roughly 400,000 American children in foster care today, the need for qualified foster parents is stronger than ever. If you’ve been considering the role, wondering if fostering is right for you, or simply curious about what foster parents do, you’re in the right place! We’ll take a look at the main foster parent requirements, explore different types of foster care, and provide a step-by-step guide to becoming certified.

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Waiting Children

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Victor

17 years old

Victor is a sweet, and loving …

Victor is a sweet, and loving child who enjoys playing games, playing with his toys, and spending ti…

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Derrick

17 years old

Derrick is a sweet and caring …

Derrick is a sweet and caring youth who enjoys being outdoors. In his free time, he enjoys playing b…

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Jamarion

18 years old

Jamarion is an energetic, outg…

Jamarion is an energetic, outgoing, active child who enjoys playing outside! He enjoys shooting hoop…

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Handsome

17 years old

Handsome is an imaginative and…

Handsome is an imaginative and energetic child who loves exploring his environment. He is a sweet, h…

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Waiting Children

Meet children who are waiting for a forever family.

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Victor

17 years old

Victor is a sweet, and loving child who enjoys pla…

TEXAS

Derrick

17 years old

Derrick is a sweet and caring youth who enjoys bei…

TEXAS

Jamarion

18 years old

Jamarion is an energetic, outgoing, active child w…

TEXAS

Handsome

17 years old

Handsome is an imaginative and energetic child who…

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Justan Angel

16 years old

Justan is a sweet and caring kid who can sometimes…

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Jermiah

16 years old

Jermiah is an articulate and friendly child and a …

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Waiting Children

Meet children who are waiting for a forever family.

Victor

17 years old

Victor is a sweet, and loving child who enjoys playing games, playing with his toys, and spending time ou…

Victor is a sweet, and loving child…

TEXAS

Derrick

17 years old

Derrick is a sweet and caring youth who enjoys being outdoors. In his free time, he enjoys playing basket…

Derrick is a sweet and caring youth…

TEXAS

Jamarion

18 years old

Jamarion is an energetic, outgoing, active child who enjoys playing outside! He enjoys shooting hoops, bi…

Jamarion is an energetic, outgoing,…

TEXAS

Handsome

17 years old

Handsome is an imaginative and energetic child who loves exploring his environment. He is a sweet, happy …

Handsome is an imaginative and ener…

TEXAS

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The Goal of Reunification

Children flourish when they live with their families in a safe and healthy home environment. The objective of foster care is to reunite kids with their biological families after necessary changes are made at home. Along with social workers, foster parents form a support system that provides a loving, stable, and temporary home for the child and assistance for the biological family. 

Legally, State child welfare agencies must make reasonable efforts to reunite foster children with their biological families. This may involve services like parenting classes, substance use treatment, or counseling. The ultimate goal is to reunite families by giving biological parents the skills and confidence they need to create healthy, happy homes.  

When Reunification Isn’t Possible

Sometimes, reasonable efforts aren’t enough to bring a biological family back together. When reunification doesn’t work out, child welfare workers refocus their goal toward finding the foster child a permanent home through the adoption process. 

In some cases, the foster parents choose to adopt the child. This pathway allows the child to remain in a familiar environment, living with people they know and trust. Fostering to adopt prevents additional disruptions in the child’s life, reducing trauma. In addition, foster parents typically hold greater insight into the child’s background and biological family, leaving them better equipped to meet that child’s needs.

The Different Types of Foster Care

Traditional Foster Care

In a traditional or “standard” arrangement, foster parents temporarily provide a safe, stable home for a child as their birth family works towards compliance and reunification. Traditional foster care is the common type of foster care, and it’s intended for children without special needs who have been removed from their home due to neglect or abuse. 

Due to legal complexities and individual situations, traditional foster care placements vary considerably in length, from days to years. In any case, traditional foster care is considered successful when the child is able to return to their biological family. 

Emergency or Respite Care

Emergency foster care offers short-term support for children whose primary caregivers are facing hospitalization, arrest, or other crises, at short notice. Like emergency foster care, respite care lasts for a few days or weeks. Respite care gives birth or foster families a short break to prevent burnout or attend to personal matters. 

Therapeutic Foster Care

Children who are placed into therapeutic foster care need more medical or behavioral support than they would receive in traditional foster care. They may have physical disabilities, developmental delays, or medical or mental health conditions. Some come from particularly traumatic home situations, or demonstrate challenging behaviors. 

As a result, therapeutic foster parents undergo extensive training to provide kids with the help they need. Foster parents typically work with a support team to develop and enact a goal-based treatment plan for the children.

Fostering to Adopt

A strategy known as concurrent planning is an ideal option for children who are unlikely to be reunited with their birth families. Because of this expected outcome, the foster parents are approved to adopt from the outset. 

Parents who foster to adopt collaborate with a caseworker, who develops time-sensitive plans for both reunification and adoption. If reunification fails, the foster parents are prepared to adopt. Concurrent planning helps children find stable, caring permanent homes as quickly as possible, with fewer transitions and less trauma. 

Who Can Become a Foster Parent? Requirements and Qualities

Every state maintains slightly different guidelines for foster parents. However, some basic requirements are standard, regardless of location. And while there are no hard and fast rules about a foster parent’s personal qualities, certain character traits and soft skills can be beneficial when opening your home to a foster child. 

Basic Eligibility Requirements

• Parental age: Foster parents must be 21 years of age or older. However, they may be single, married, or in a domestic partnership.
• Background check: Prospective foster parents are required to pass an extensive examination. They are usually expected to provide fingerprints, undergo multiple screenings, and submit to a criminal background check that looks for a history of child abuse or neglect.
• Home inspection: The State must inspect your home to ensure that it is safe and structurally sound. If you rent your home, you may need to obtain written permission to foster from your landlord.
• Family and financial stability: Qualified foster families must be able to support themselves and any foster children financially, whether or not the parents work outside of the home. They should be capable of providing a child with day-to-day stability. 

Training: Every foster parent must complete State-mandated training. The amount and type of training varies among states. However, courses may address topics like communication, behavior management, and child development. Prospective parents may also take classes on CPR, first aid, and trauma-informed care.

The Qualities of a Successful Foster Parent

While you won’t find a list of personality traits on any checklist, there are certain attributes that can make someone a more successful foster parent. While stability is a core aspect of foster parenting, flexibility is also important. Fostering a child often means adapting parenting styles and attitudes in the face of unpredictable situations. It can also mean accepting that the child you’ve grown to love may not be living with you forever.
Prospective foster parents should also be prepared to meet potential traumas and behavioral challenges with compassion and patience. Every child’s background is different, and some kids have experienced significant losses in their short lifetimes. Kindness and understanding, even in difficult times, go a long way in creating an atmosphere of trust and stability.

The Process: How to Become a Foster Parent, Step-by-Step

Step 1: Initial Inquiry and Orientation

The first step toward becoming a foster parent is to sign up for an orientation session at your local family services office. Orientation usually includes a detailed explanation of the fostering process and a question-and answer-session. Orientation dates and times may be listed on the office website, or you might need to call and find out when the next session takes place. 

If you’re not quite ready to attend an orientation, you can also contact your state’s foster parent association or local foster care agencies to request information by mail or email.

Step 2: The Application and Training (PRIDE/MAPP)

Once you’ve decided to become a foster parent, the next step is to complete a formal application with your chosen agency. You may need to provide a variety of paperwork, including proof of age and state residency, fingerprints, financial information, and letters of reference.  

If your application is approved, you must complete what is known as pre-service training. Most agencies use two training programs: PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education), and MAPP (Model and Assessment of Parenting Practice). PRIDE addresses topics like trauma-informed parenting practices, while MAPP helps prospective foster parents decide if fostering is the right choice for them.

Step 3: The Home Study

After training, you will be assigned a social worker for a home study. During the home study, the social worker ensures your home is safe for children to live in. The social worker will check for a variety of state-mandated features, such as smoke detectors, working water and waste systems, and appropriate sleeping arrangements. 

In addition, the social worker gets to know you and how your family operates. They evaluate your family life, including you and family members’ medical backgrounds. They also note factors that could impact placement preferences, like religion or occupation.

Step 4: Licensing and Matching

If the home study goes well, the State will approve your application to foster a child. Using information from the home study, the foster care agency will then match your family with a child they believe will thrive in your home, family, and lifestyle. While agencies typically do their best to match foster kids according to parent preferences, children are almost always placed according to need first.

Step 5: Welcoming a Child into Your Home

When a match is found, you will typically complete a series of pre-placement visits with a social worker to ensure that your home is ready for the child to move in. They will address ways to make the child comfortable in their temporary home, and strategies for minimizing trauma.

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