How to Become a Foster Parent in Rhode island

Quotes about foster care

How to Become a Foster Parent in Rhode Island

Close to 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system, and the numbers are on the rise. Yet, the path to becoming a foster parent in Rhode Island can often seem unclear. FosterUSKids.org is your source for information and guidance, connecting you with a local Rhode Island agency to simplify becoming a foster parent.

HOW TO FOSTER: A SIX-STEP GLANCE

There are six steps to complete before you can bring a child into your home as a licensed foster parent in Rhode Island:

1. Request Information About Fostering – 
   FosterUSKids puts the Rhode Island foster care and adoption agencies at your fingertips.
2. Attend an Orientation Meeting for Foster Parenting –
   Learn more about the foster parent journey: how to become a foster parent, the characteristics of kids in foster care, and state foster care rules and regulations.
    
3. Submit a Foster Parent Application –
   Your agency’s social workers will help you with the required documentation, background checks, personal references, and state-specific criteria.
    
4. Attend Pre-Service Training –
   Around 30 hours of formal parent training cover essential topics from what to expect to trauma-informed foster care.
    
5. Complete an Assessment and Home Study –
   This vital process includes a home visit and interviews with social workers to ensure you are a good fit and ready to be matched with a foster child.
    
6. Receive Your Foster License –
   The typical 3 to 6-month process results in getting your foster family license and then welcoming a foster child into your home!

Parenting is a rewarding journey marked by commitment and growth. For foster children in Rhode Island, the search is not for a perfect parent but someone they can count on for love, care, and a stable home – a foundation that will make a life-altering difference.

We at FosterUSKids are grateful you are on the path to learning more. Contact a Rhode Island child-placing agency for detailed guidance through every step.

Requirements to Foster in Rhode Island

The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) and the private agencies connected with it offer many resources. If you foster through a private agency, you'll receive support from them.

Foster families in Rhode Island qualify for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). This program subsidizes childcare costs for families caring for foster youth under age 13. Some resources are also available for kids with special needs after age 13 as well.

Contact your private foster care agency or DCYF caseworker to learn more about these options.

Parents that need a break from fostering due to an emergency or other reason can also access respite care. This type of care involves one foster family taking care of another licensed family's child for a brief period.

Resource families receive a foster care maintenance payment to help with a child's needs. The amount varies depending on the child's age and service level of care.

Finally, the DCYF or licensed private agency will help you through the process, provide training, offer assistance managing medical and dental services, etc.

Foster FAQs for Rhode Island

New parents have many questions about fostering when they first start their journies. But the more questions you have, the better! It means you're taking an active interest in how to become a better caregiver.

Here are a few FAQs that might help with foster parenting.

What Impacts the Time It Takes to Receive a Placement?

There are many factors that impact the time families must wait to have a child placed in their home. It can depend on a family's characteristics and preferences and incoming referrals.

In many cases, parents can wait for several months before placement.

What if I Want to Adopt a Foster Child?

Most cases end with the reunification of a foster child and their birth parents, family, or primary caregiver. This situation is usually in the child's best interest.

However, there are instances where adoption may be the better choice for a child. It's up to the DCF/DCYF to approve adoptive families.

Do I Need to Have a Vehicle?

Foster families need reliable transportation. You must have a vehicle and adequate insurance coverage. You may also need to pass a DMV check and have a clean driving record.

The social worker helps you arrange transportation for the child.

What if I Have an Emergency?

Private agencies should have an on-call service that connects parents to a social worker. They should also be able to help you through a crisis if necessary.

Foster families will receive information and contact numbers for hospitals, doctors, and emergency rooms. Parents are also strongly encouraged to learn about the emergency resources in their community.

Become a Foster Parent

Although these are the basics of how to become a foster parent in Rhode Island, it's not the full picture. You'll learn much of what you need to know in your orientation and during parent training classes. Contact your local Department of Children, Youth, and Families or a private foster care agency to get started.

If you want to start fostering in Rhode Island, we'll gladly help you please find your local agency with the button below.

Foster agencies in Rhode Island

Select My Foster Agency in Rhode Island

General Foster FAQs

General Statistics About Foster Care

• 1823

  Children in Rhode Island's foster care in 2021

• 283

  Kids awaiting adoption in Rhode Island

• 14%

  Of foster kids spend 3-4 years in Rhode Island foster care

• 777

  Children entered Rhode Island foster care in 2021

Foster children face many obstacles, including adjusting to new environments and dealing with trauma. Many struggle to keep up with their peers, especially in school. Over half of Rhode Island's foster youth don't graduate high school.

These kids aren't getting the care and attention they need to succeed. Thankfully, parents can do their part and work with the school staff to ensure foster children have a better chance.

Here are more of the latest statistics concerning Rhode Island's foster care situation:

• There are 1,823 foster kids in Rhode Island
• 777 entered care in 2021
• 283 are awaiting adoption
• 84 of those awaiting adoption had parental rights terminated
• The median age of foster kids is eight years old
• 30% live in a non-relative foster home
• 73% of case plan goals are to reunite a child and their family
• Children spend a median time of 16.7 months in care
• 14% spend 3-4 years in foster care
• The median age of children awaiting adoption is seven years old

Support Services for Foster Parents in Rhode Island

Foster parents are full-time caregivers that temporarily open their homes to the children that have been displaced. Kids enter foster care for various reasons, such as abuse, neglect, parent incarceration, etc. Their birth parents may be unable to provide the proper attention a child needs.

That said, the primary goal of foster care is reunification with the family once the safety issues have been addressed.

Resource families are licensed to care for foster youths until a case plan goal can be reached. Potential foster parents must meet the following state requirements:

• 21 years of age or older
• You're financially stable
• You live in a safe and stable environment
• You have space for a child and a bed for them
• The residence passes a safety inspection
• Family members are in good health
• Parents attend an orientation and finish training
• All adults agree to a background check
• You finish the home study

If you meet Rhode Island's prerequisites, the next step is to contact the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families or a licensed child-placing agency. You'll attend a one-time informational meeting to go over some foster care basics.

Interested parents must also complete special training and attend continual training if they wish to keep their license current.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME A FOSTER PARENT IN Rhode Island

Every day in Rhode Island, children from all age groups enter foster care, some with no belongings of their own, all without an adult they can depend on. Every Rhode Island kid needs a soft place to land and a place to call home. Whether you can offer temporary care or become a forever family, your interest could mean a brighter, more secure future for a child in Rhode Island.

Still undecided? A Rhode Island child-placing agency is here to guide you, providing answers about stipends, coaching, therapy resources, and foster parent training.

Take the next step: Begin your parenting journey by fostering a Rhode Island child today.