Understanding Foster Care
Release date: 5/1/2006
What is Foster Care?
Foster Care is designed to provide temporary parenting to children who have been removed from their own homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Although counselors work with families to resolve issues and try to keep children in their own homes, there are many times that the problems cannot be solved. In these situations, the children must leave the home and be placed in foster care to ensure their safety and well-being.
Who can become a Foster Parent?
Foster parents are special – all are not alike. Foster parents are all races, economic backgrounds and religions. They are married, single, working or retired. But they do have one common trait. All are willing to open their hearts and homes to children facing uncertain futures.
In addition to providing necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, the foster parent must nurture and encourage the child, must promote growth and development, and must set good examples in every day life. The foster parent’s challenge is not simply to give the child love, but to open their hearts knowing there is a possibility that the child will go back home.
Although there are no health or income requirements, foster parents must be at least 21 years of age, in good health and have income sufficient to meet family needs. Prospective foster parents must attend a 30-hour mandatory preparation course known as Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP), undergo background screenings and pass a confidential home study.
What types of children are placed in foster care?
Children in foster care have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Because of their past experiences, some foster children may experience emotional, developmental, physical or behavioral challenges. They need love, patience and understanding.
What support do Foster Parents receive?
CHS assists foster parents by providing access to a Licensed Mental Health Counselor skilled at working with children whose pasts have been painful. A Case Manager is assigned to work with each family helping to secure additional community support services for the child and for the foster family. When needed, CHS also provides foster parents and crisis home parents with respite assistance.
How many foster children can be in one home?
Children’s Home Society usually limits the number of foster children in a home to one or two, though this depends on the number of other natural and adopted children in the home. If a foster family is willing to take more children and there are siblings in need of a home, CHS will consider placing more than two foster children in one home.
Do Foster Parents receive financial support?
Though not paid a salary for their services, foster parents are reimbursed for the daily expenses of their foster children in the form of a monthly board rate check. The amounts of the board rate checks are determined by the ages of the foster children in a family’s care. Foster parents must have other income sufficient for their own needs and the needs of their other children. Additionally, Medicaid covers the cost of medical and dental expenses for children in foster care.
How does Crisis Care differ from Foster Care?
Crisis home care is emergency short-term shelter for children who cannot remain in their own homes. It differs from foster care primarily by the child’s length of stay. Children may stay in crisis home care from one night up to 30 days. Crisis home parents must meet all the foster care eligibility requirements in order to qualify as a licensed foster home.
How do I become a Foster Parent?
If you are willing to share your home and heart with a child in need of a safe and happy home, contact the North Coastal Division of Children’s Home Society of Florida, at 386/304-7600. The recruiter will help you through each step of the licensing process.
Created in 1902, CHS provides children and families with a unique spectrum of social services, including foster care, adoption, child abuse prevention, emergency shelters, group homes, case management, and treatment for developmentally disabled children. A nationally accredited agency, CHS made a difference in the lives of more than 139,000 Florida children and families in 2004-2005. CHS is headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, and offers services in more than 200 locations by more than 2,300 staff members who are dedicated to providing child-focused, family-centered care.
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