Thursday, July 12, 2007
Adoption #2- Foster Facts
Oronzo and I attended an "extra" training class last night, as part of our efforts to get licensed for foster-to-adopt through the state. This was a "Nuts n' Bolts" kind of class and I thought I'd share some of the facts that I learned. Some of these may be specific to our state, I'm not sure.I'm going to list some of the details in a random order:
1) You may be licensed for up to five foster children at one time (not including bio and adoptive children).
2) You may only have two foster children under the age of 1. Perfect, that's what we're willing to consider!
3) You may only have four foster children under the age of 5.
4) Foster children 3 or younger can have a bed located in your bedroom. Umm...a month or two of having a child sleeping in my room was plenty long for us! We never really "slept" very well when Snuggle Bug was in our room because we jumped at every peep and squeak that he made.
5) Foster children 3 or older must have a bed in a separate room.
6) Foster children 6 or older must have boys with boys and girls with girls when sharing bedrooms.
7) Our licensing agent stipulates that babysitters for foster children must be at least 18 years of age, and must be background checked and fingerprinted. We talked to one of Oronzo's sisters about that and she said she'd be happy to get this done so she can babysit for us when needed! Thank goodness because Snuggle Bug adores her and we ask her to baby-sit occasionally (like last night).
8) If you're providing Respite Care for other foster parents, you don't have to have a separate bed for the foster child you're taking in on a temporary basis. Having them sleep on the couch is fine. Not in my house! They'll get their own bed, thank you very much!
9) As a Foster Parent you receive monthly payments for care of the foster children. The amount depends on the age of the child. You are not required to submit receipts for items purchased with this monthly allowance. I'm must admit, I'm a little uncomfortable with this lack of accountability.
10) There are special allowances/supplemental financial supports available for foster children. For example, you can get funding for emergency clothing, books/educational expenses, graduation expenses, special needs allowance (holidays, birthdays, etc.), camps or family vacation expenses, etc. Receipts must be submitted for these special funds. The amounts available are pocket change, really, but I suppose every bit helps.
11) A foster child has excellent medical coverage while they're in the system. If you adopt that child from foster care, more than likely that child is going to qualify for an adoption subsidy and they will be allowed to have their own medical coverage until they turn 18 years old.
12) There's a pretty expansive support system in place for foster parents (at least in our area there are many monthly support meetings for foster families) and many companies do things to help foster families as well. For example, one company creates life books for foster children for free! This company is always looking for volunteers to donate their time and talent. I think I'm going to look into this. What a great outlet for my scrapbooking passion!
Pretty neat stuff, eh? Did you learn something new by reading this list? I hope so. :)
Labels: adoption #2, foster-to-adopt, fostering
10 Comments:
Thanks for sharing all of this info as you learn it, OW! As an adoptive parent of 2 boys, my husband and I are hoping to adopt a 3rd in the next two years.
However, after the financial outpouring (as I'm sure you were faced w/ Snuggle Bug), we are tapped out. We are anxious to see how things pan out for your family, as we've been considering adopting through the state as well.
Our prayers are with you daily as you continue your journey to build your family.
Warmly,
"Lady Bug"
I'm involved with a group called Friends of Foster Families where I live. We provide childcare one Saturday a month for foster children - a much needed break for those foster parents who are so appreciative. I had to go through all you mentioned - the fingerprinting, background check, training sessions on working with the kids, etc. It is usually held at our church (great facility, but our volunteers are from all over our community. I never realized before being involved how limited foster parents are in the outside care they can have for the kids unless they get people lined up ahead of time with all the prerequisites to be done. It is such a rewarding experience to work with these kids. This past year our local Junior Service League that I'm part of took part in Friends of Foster Families by members getting trained and certified to help provide this much needed service. :)
That's a fabulous list! So, did your MAPP classes hold off on telling you the amount of money you get for the child every month? Our classes saved that piece of information until the very last night of classes - which I think was well timed. I mean, if you are in it for the right reasons, it really doesn't matter much.
As for babysitting, we found that getting a network of other foster parents to swap off on babysitting with was a great way to avoid the fingerprinting issues - which is indeed WAY over the top!
It is interesting stuff. I didnt realize they kids would get health insurance..thats great!
My heart goes out to you...I two adopted thru the state.. So involved ... It's amazing what these kids go thru... Good Luck!!!
I always learn something new here...
You go girl
WE LOOKED INTO FOSTER PARENTING IN OUR STATE, I enjoy your list, thanks for sharing. On the financial "lack of accountability" I think part of that is because it would be so hard to account for housing, groceries, etc..
~Kathryn
I have several friends who have fostered over the years, hard to beleive all the hops to jump before the first child enters your home. Fouund your blog while out exploring blogville.
First, I want to commend you and your hubby for caring about these little kids. I so agree there needs to be a bed for even a short term sleep over, and any monies intended for a child's needs should be accounted for, even if things like groceries might have to be estimated. On the plus side of this, maybe it's good for the government agency or department to be made aware of the cost of needed stuff. If the money the foster person gets is considered like income or pay, for taking care of the child, then I don't think that needs detailing.
While some might see the rules about baby sitters being too strict, I think we must be as careful as possible, and the right person for the job won't mind some inconvenience. The foster office could do the background checking, and finger printing might be free at police stations and places like that.
Again, I appreciate learning more about foster care and adoption, and I so admire people like you'all who will deal with all of this to reach a kid who needs to be loved. I was like that once, and some wonderful families took me in, and helped me become more than I realized I was at the time. So God bless you. I will be praying you find the child God has in Mind for you.
Very interesting! And the scrapbooking idea is excellent!
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