Happy Valentine’s Day !
If you are thinking of becoming a foster parent with the intention of adopting the foster child. We have three words for you this holiday season: Start with Love.
In an ideal world where every biological family is able to care for their children- there would be no need for foster or adoptive parents.
Unfortunately some families are not able to care for their children. Generally, foster kids have suffered trauma, abuse and neglect. Which is why the State Government has to step in. The State Government and Family Courts make a particular Foster Care organization responsible for a child.These foster care organizations in turn need to make arrangements for the foster kid’s care.
If you are a biological parent you would be very concerned about someone else taking care of your child. This is why there is a training,licensing process and oversight for the foster parent. The foster care organization is legally (and morally) responsible for the foster child. Thus, foster care organizations try hard to ensure the successful placement of a foster child to a particular foster home. After placement, these organizations are ever ready to help support the foster parent as foster care gets under way.
As explained in an earlier post foster care is temporary and adoption is permanent.
Foster Parents need to start with love getting into foster care:
Love as if this was your own child: Based on all the academic literature and the many discussions we have had with people in the social welfare world the key is to get into this with love in your heart. While nothing is permanent in the world every child does deserve a permanent home while growing up. Hence permanency in foster care where the child is in the same foster home till (a) they are reunited with the biological family or (b) adopted or (c) ages out of the foster care system upon reaching adulthood.
Every second foster child is not reunited with the biological family: Sadly 50% foster kids are not reunited with biological parents. Happily, about half of them are adopted as we mentioned in a previous post:
About 50% of foster kids in the US Foster Care system are not able to be reunited with their biological families. And yes, 26% of Foster Kids were adopted by foster parents according to Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System- AFCARS:2020(page 3) by the foster family. The average time in foster care is about 2 years and more details are available in the AFCARS report.
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Unfortunately about a quarter of kids ( ballpark 100,000 kids out of 400,000 in foster care in the US a year) are neither reunited or adopted. If you go in with love in your heart, and even if you are not able to adopt: foster kids should know that they are loved by their foster parents.
A certification with scholarship and free tuition: A good way to think about becoming a foster parent is that a licensed foster parent is an important professional credential. All through the process, the foster parents build caregiving skills that are most valuable to society. To us at StartFosterCare.org the value of these skills to society are more than that of a para-medical college degree. The foster care system trains you, licenses you and even pays you a stipend to support the child. In other words, you earn a credential that is valuable in service to your immediate community. All this is possible when you start with love in your heart.
We wish our readers a Happy Thanksgiving next week and best wishes for the Holiday Season.