What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Parent?
Strong Foster Child Support Teams Include Foster Parents
Child welfare advocates say foster children need a loving, safe foster home care environment. Along with that fundamental responsibility of nurturing foster care placement, children in the foster care system need extra support. The primary support for a foster child is their foster family. While a foster parent is their child's go-to reliable adult, foster parents and children have a care team behind them to help.
Foster Support Team
Foster parenting is a challenging and rewarding role. Thankfully, no foster parent is ever alone in navigating their foster care journey.
Every foster and adoptive parent and child has a support team. These social services resources often include social workers in involved child welfare agencies, teachers, doctors, and mental health professionals. Biological parents and a foster child's birth families are often co-parenting resources, as well.
Among the most important resources is your child-placing agency. Your agency partner guides you through foster parent training and becoming an approved foster care provider. They continue to serve as your first-line resource for answers and information. They offer ongoing development and training, as well as additional support resources during your time in the foster community.
Essential Responsibilities of Foster Parents
You may feel ready to foster a child and that you have the personal traits to be a supportive and attentive foster parent. Several key foster parent responsibilities are essential for addressing the needs of youth in foster care. Consistently coming through on these responsibilities will ensure the well-being of foster children in your care.
Here are the primary responsibilities of all foster and adoptive parents:
Provide Nurturing Care and Support
- Maintain a flexible schedule to accommodate the changing needs of foster kids.
- Transport foster youth to various school and health care appointments, including medical, psychological, psychiatric, or health educator. Assemble a list of safety considerations to ensure emergency and other health contacts are in order.
- Advocate for the foster child's best interests when communicating with DSS workers, court hearings professionals, and case managers. You may hear needs directly from your foster child or may try different approaches to talking with your foster child.
Stay Informed with Ongoing Training
- Know the impact of trauma on foster children and youth (be "trauma-aware"). Many foster kids have experienced displacement, abuse, or neglect. Some foster kids even suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Participate in training to better understand your foster youth’s specific circumstances and individual needs. While all kids benefit from structure, it helps to set easy, logical rules.
- Document all events, medical appointments, incidents, and other concerns to maintain transparency with family members and agencies.
Maintain Fostering Standards for Care
- Maintain communications with your foster child's caseworker and often also their birth parents.
- Keep all paperwork up-to-date and in compliance with regulations.
- Follow the rules for making decisions about foster children in your care.
Foster and Adoptive Parents are a Lifeline for Children in Care
The impact you make as a temporary foster care provider or an adoptive family will last a lifetime. By meeting these rules, you will follow the United States child welfare guidelines for foster parents and guardians.
Most importantly, our community desperately needs people who care and can become foster and adoptive parents. By opening your home and your heart to a child in need, you will create a stable, supportive home for foster kids. The impact you make has the power to change a child's life forever.
For additional information about becoming a foster or adoptive parent, take time with online blog resources. You can also reach a child-placing agency near you to ask questions and learn more about foster care support.