Think about each of these questions. Discuss them with your family after you have answered them:
- Can our family take a child for a month or a year, help him/her grow, and let him/her go before he/she is an adult?
- Can I spend time with the caseworker and other professionals and work cooperatively with them even when we don’t always agree on what is best?
- Am I willing to invest time and energy in helping a child without seeing any improvements?
- Am I willing to keep written records on a regular basis?
- Am I willing to help set reasonable rules around natural family visitation and follow through with them?
If you have children:
- Do my children understand and accept why we will have foster children in our home?
- Can I honestly say my children will receive more than they sacrifice by having foster children in the home?
- Can I accept that my children will most likely be exposed to or pick up some of the bad habits of foster children?
Think about your family’s lifestyle and decide how to realistically answer the following questions:
- Do we have sleeping arrangements for both boys and girls?
- How many boys can we accommodate?
- How many girls can we accommodate?
- What is the age range of children we can work with now?
Any “No” answer may mean you will encounter difficulty in carrying out your job as a foster parent. They are areas to be discussed with your licensor and family. No family can do equally well with all types of children. Many types of children need homes and the more flexibility you have, the easier it is for our agency to find a good home for every child. On the other hand, taking a child who will be disruptive to your family will be hard on you and bad for the child.