A closer look at fostering

The goals of being a foster parent

Safety: Foster parents provide structure, support, consistency and comfort.

Basic needs: Foster parents provide food, shelter, clothing, transportation and access to behavioral,medical and dental care.

Emotional support: Foster parents learn how to respond to difficult behaviors so that they can understand the child and help the child feel understood.

Permanency: Foster parents create a sense of continuity and permanency in their foster children’s lives by assisting in the family reunification process, the adoption process or a youth’s transition to independent living.

Team player: Above all, foster parents are team players who coordinate and work with assigned family specialists, mental health providers and any and all additional treatment providers to further the needs of the foster child in their care.

Adoption through foster care

For many children in foster care, their brother or sister has been the only constant presence in their lives. A brother or sister may be the only person who understands and shares their experiences and can help them make sense of their new lives. For this reason, adoption of sibling groups through foster care is encouraged.

If the adoptive parents do incur costs in adoption a child from the foster care system, those costs are usually minimal and might include:

Home Study: Every adoptive family requires a home study, which proves to the state that your family is ready to adopt a child. Some states cover the home study costs for families.

Home Preparations: The home visit portion of the home study may indicate some troublesome areas in your home that need to be addressed, such as locks on cabinets or padding on sharp corners and edges.

Minimal Legal Costs: In many states, the adoptive families’ legal fees will be paid for by the state. If the adoptive family is required to pay legal fees, they are oftentimes negligible.