How Do I Become a Foster Parent in the U.S.

The United States is trying to handle a nationwide shortage of foster families, and it isn't easy. Recruiting foster parents takes time, and interested applicants must complete a months-long process to get their licenses.

You can change the course of a foster child's life by becoming a licensed foster parent in your state. Are you wondering how or whether you qualify to be a foster parent? If so, you are already making a significant move toward helping kids in need.

This guide covers everything you need to know about fostering children and youth for the first time.

How Do I Become a Foster Parent?

It takes time to become a foster parent. The average process takes 90-120 days. The good news is you might already qualify to be a foster parent.

Requirements vary based on state. Private agencies may also have different rules for potential applicants. Start by learning more about these requirements for parents.

Here are some examples of standard state requirements to become a foster parent:

• Meet the minimum age requirement
• Pass a background check
• Agree to a fingerprinting and a criminal background check
• Provide proof of steady employment or financial stability
• Take a physical exam to prove good healthy
• Provide personal character references
• Have reliable transportation and vehicle insurance
• Complete pre-service foster parent training
• Follow through with any in-service training
• Finish the Home Study process (interviews, home safety checks, etc.)

Some requirements apply to all adult members living in the home. If a child in the family is 18 or older and lives at home, they must pass a background check. This ensures a foster child's safety.

Before deciding to foster a child, social workers recommend that discussion and decisions include all family members. Fostering a child creates a significant life change for everyone involved. Foster parents need to recognize the emotional, lifestyle, and financial impacts and have their family's full support.

Once ready to start the process, you will need to contact your local state or private foster care and adoption agency. A foster advocate will work to ensure they match a child in foster care to your needs as a foster parent. They will ask questions about your fostering goals and interest in becoming a foster parent. They will also seek to understand your needs and any preferences you have about the child's characteristics or circumstances.

From there, every aspiring foster parent will attend a new parent orientation. This meeting has no cost or obligation for prospective foster or adoptive parents to continue. Instead, parents will learn about fostering and adoption, ask questions, and connect with other adults starting their fostering journey.

Each state has required foster or adoptive parent training hours. Most child-placing agencies facilitate training programs and provide various forms of ongoing support resources for foster families.

The Home Study is among the most vital parts of the fostering approval process. Foster applicants complete paperwork, pass safety inspections, and undergo interviews with their foster child caseworker. This thorough process ensures that each foster family is genuinely prepared to bring foster youth into their home.

During the Home Study, your social worker may make suggestions for changes, such as child-proofing parts of your home.

An Overview of Foster Care

Foster care is an essential care service that is part of the United States child welfare system. When children are not safe to stay in their birth family homes, foster care comes to the aid of displaced children. Foster parents are trained adults licensed by the state to give temporary foster homes or respite to these kids.

Foster youth may need short- or long-term care through the foster system. They may live with relatives in Kinship care or with non-relatives. In most cases, the ultimate goal is reunification, rejoining foster children with birth parents or the primary caregiver. When this isn't possible, foster care caseworkers seek long-term foster care or adoption.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about foster care include:

Do I Need a Spare Bedroom?

No. Though having an extra room is not always necessary, it can help. Kids, particularly if they're older, prefer privacy. It can be challenging for some to adjust to sharing a room with others.

The standard rule for foster parents is that each child must have their own bed. Foster children must also have space in the home, such as a closet or dresser, to keep their personal belongings. Foster children cannot share a room with an adult. There are two exceptions to this rule: if the child is less than one year old or if it's medically necessary.

Learn more about preparing your home to welcome a foster child, teen, or sibling group.

What are Character References?

Child-placing agencies require applicants to have at least three personal character references. These are letters or statements from people who have known you for years.

These statements tell an agency more about your strengths or areas for improvement or support. Noting possible challenges does not disqualify an adult from being a foster parent. Instead, the agency receives information to help navigate difficulties or challenges.

Seek references from people who are familiar with your ability to care for children. These could come from families for whom you babysat or provided professional childcare.

How Do I Know if I'm Ready to be a Foster Parent?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. You must look at your lifestyle and evaluate different factors.

Consider the amount of time you have available for caring for children. Reflect on whether your schedule allows for flexibility. Evaluate your problem-solving skills. Assess your readiness to face new challenges.

In short, do you feel prepared to take on this new role as a parent? Raising a child isn't easy, and being a foster parent can be quite different from parenting your biological child. Fostering comes with its own set of challenges.

All foster children experience trauma from displacement and the safety issues they encountered prior to entering foster care. They have had a rough start in life because of poverty, loss, abuse, or neglect. While they need an adult they can count on, traumatic experiences affect people in different ways. Your foster child's experiences may affect how they interact with you.

You may have to deal with behavioral issues that stem from your foster child's mental health. At times, foster youth might feel as if their foster parents are trying to replace their biological parents. Pre-service foster parent training includes trauma-informed topics that will help you. However, you can expect to deal with unforeseen situations no one could anticipate.

Foster parents must make lifestyle changes and get used to new rules and restrictions. Foster parents cannot leave kids home alone or share their foster kids' pictures on social media. For many adults, It takes time to adjust to living within these guidelines.

Your agency's foster parent advocate will walk through every possible detail. They also welcome your thoughts and questions throughout the foster approval and licensing process. The more questions you have, the easier it will be to prepare for your new parenting role.

What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Parent?

A foster parent's job is to provide a loving and stable home. You must treat a foster child like your own and help them thrive.

Foster kids desperately need dependable adults to count on. Taking an interest in a foster child will impact their confidence and ability to transition from foster care. Foster teens who become legal adults while in foster care and "age out" of the system may quickly end up on the street. Having a family support network is vital for these young adults.

The goal for every kid coming of age is to transition to successful and independent adulthood. Foster youth must have a stable, supportive home to finish high school and make the next leap.

Foster parents must enroll foster children in school and support their education. They must also actively participate in their foster child's school curriculum, whether it is public, private, or homeschooled. This can involve assisting with homework, working with teachers, or participating in school activities like events, concerts, or games.

Foster parents teach kids life skills that public schools do not provide. The importance of financial literacy is significant to foster teens who will soon live on their own.

Foster parents must take foster kids to necessary appointments with doctors, schools, and therapy sessions. This includes documenting events and, for some kids, picking up medication.

Fostering requires scheduling flexibility on many different levels. Often, foster parents must communicate or coordinate visits with their foster child's birth parents.

Find a Foster Agency Near You

People who want to help often search for answers to the question, "How do I become a foster parent?" The information in this guide provides essential information to take the first steps.

FosterUSKids strives to support foster kids by helping all who may become their foster parents. Our mission is to help find a loving foster family for every child in the foster care system.

Fill out our online form, or contact a foster care advocate in your area today.