Self care is key to being a successful foster parent. Parenting is hard work, and foster parents often face unique stressors with the added transitions and varying needs of the children they care for. It’s important and necessary for foster parents to take time for themselves to ensure that they are taking care of their own physical, mental, and emotional health. Self care can look different for everyone. It can be asking your partner to watch the kids while you go to the gym, take a walk, or get coffee with a friend. It can even be something as simple as taking a relaxing bubble bath or reading a book before bed. Self care helps you feel re-energized and allows you to be the best version of yourself. When you take care of your own physical, mental, and emotional needs, you will be better equipped to provide the best care possible for your foster children.
Being a successful foster parent involves being flexible and open to learning along the way. As a foster parent, you will be faced with unique challenges that you may not always know how to navigate right away. An important part of working through these new experiences is doing research and receiving training in areas of parenting you are less familiar with. This may look like reading books, attending classes, or watching videos about different topics relevant to parenting foster children, including: childhood trauma, child development, working with children with different types of disabilities, and attachment styles. Increasing your knowledge and seeking out information will help you be better equipped to support and nurture foster children with varying needs.
Another key element in being a successful foster parent is being an advocate for your foster child. Seeking out information about the different resources and services available to the children you care for opens up opportunities for them to receive additional support and live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.
Successful foster parents also view the children they care for from a strengths-based perspective. By recognizing and pointing out their strengths, foster parents can help children develop and believe in their strengths, while also increasing their self-esteem. Focusing on the strengths of your foster children can also help you come up with ways to approach problems that play into those strengths, increasing the chances of a more positive outcome.
The most important part of being a successful foster parent is providing a warm, safe, structured, and nurturing environment, where children feel safe to grow and learn. By providing structure and safety, children can feel more secure, helping them feel more comfortable within your home. Foster parents must also practice patience with the children they care for, remembering that it may take time for them to adjust to a new environment, especially if they have experienced frequent and drastic changes. Finally, foster parents must be trustworthy in order to earn the trust of the children they care for. Be intentional about demonstrating trustworthy behavior, such as keeping your promises, meeting your responsibilities as a foster parent, and listening to the needs of your foster children.
Attend a 60-minute workshop presented by a former Elementary School Counselor and afterwards, visit exhibits with resources for families
In this 60-minute workshop, parents of young children will gain strategies to stimulate their child’s development, engage their early learning skills, and learn tips for how to prepare your children for success in Pre-K. Former Elementary School Counselor, Camila Dos Santos, will share her knowledge and experiences to help you prepare your child for school! Afterwards, join us for refreshments, family fun, and free resources! Supervision for young children will be provided by His Glory Childcare Center throughout the duration of the 60 minutes workshop for parents.
If you are interested in volunteering for this event, please click here for more information.
As you have been reading about being a foster parent over the past few days, you may be wondering how you become a foster parent in the first place? Becoming a foster parent involves several different requirements, which can feel overwhelming and confusing when you first begin to consider taking this next step. To help you gain a better understanding of this process, we have created a “how to” guide with the different steps and requirements for becoming a foster parent in North Carolina, which has been adapted from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website and the Guilford County website.
First, let’s go over some of the basic requirements to become a foster parent:
Foster parents must be at least 21 years old.
You can become a foster parent regardless of your marital status (single, widowed, married, divorced, etc.).
You can either own a home or rent one.
You can have other children in the home.
You must be able to care for yourself financially.
You must wait at least 12 months after a major life event (i.e. marriage, divorce, the death of a family member, the birth of a child, etc.).
You must have at least a GED and a reliable form of transportation (this includes a valid NC driver’s license and valid NC car insurance).
According to North Carolina law, foster parents must be licensed through the NC Division of Social Services.
Prospective foster parents must complete a criminal background check and be fingerprinted, and they must also complete any necessary home visits or interviews.
Applicants must complete the Trauma Informed Parenting for Safety Permanence – Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (TIPS-MAPP) training. TIPS-MAPP is a minimum 30 hour training course that informs parents about the child welfare system and the role of foster parents. It also helps participants develop necessary skills to become successful foster parents.
It is important to note that some of these requirements may vary slightly depending on the agency you work with.
Now that we have a better understanding of some of the basic requirements of becoming a foster parent, let’s take a closer look at the steps you need to take to start this process. The steps below have been adapted from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website:
Before getting started, we encourage you to attend an information session about the foster care process in Guilford County. There are meetings held for both High Point and Greensboro. Click here for the 2019 information session dates.
After attending an information meeting, the first thing prospective foster parents must do is watch the mandatory foster parent orientation video.
Next, you must choose an agency with whom you will complete the foster care process. For a list of agencies, visit the “Select a Foster Care and or Adoption Agency” section of the NCDHH Website. You can also work directly with DSS.
Once you select an agency, you will attend an orientation meeting with that agency.
Complete the TIPS-MAPP training described above.
Complete the Mutual Home Assessment for foster home licensing.
Next, you will complete the Foster Home Application which will be submitted to the NC Division of Social Services to be reviewed. This step is most often completed with the help of your agency.
Once you have been approved for licensure, you will be eligible to accept foster placements based on the children’s needs and your family’s ability to care for and parent them.
Lastly, you will need to renew your license every 2 years.
We hope this information has helped you gain a better understanding of the requirements and steps needed to become a foster parent. We highly encourage you to check out the NCDHHS website and Guilford County website for more detailed information!
Complete a fun scavenger hunt while kayaking with your significant other or friend!
The Healthy Relationships Initiative and Greensboro Parks and Recreation are partnering to provide a relationship strengthening scavenger hunt to be completed while kayaking on Lake Higgins! Couples who bring their own kayaks pay $5 and all other pairs pay $10. Register here & pay at Lake Higgins on the day of the event!
Although foster care often involves temporary placements, foster parents can have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of the children they care for. Foster parents play an important role in cultivating growth, healing, safety, and comfort in the lives of foster children. They can help build a strong foundation, where children feel safe to explore and learn, aiding in positive development.
Foster parents also support children with any physical, social, behavioral, emotional, or mental health needs they may have. This may include supporting children who have experienced trauma, such as abuse or neglect. In cases where children have such needs, foster parents engage in responsibilities, such as taking foster children to therapy appointments, doctor visits, and following any home-care instructions provided by professionals, such as doctors, physical/occupational therapists, mental health clinicians, etc. In addition to providing care related to specialized needs children may have, foster parents also ensure that children’s physical, emotional and nurturing, educational, recreational, and social needs are met.
Foster parents are also responsible for working with foster care agencies to ensure the child’s safety and progress. Foster parents attend required meetings with the agency or members of the child’s team (i.e. social workers/case managers), submit any required paperwork, and report information regarding the child’s progress. They must also participate in required trainings, which we will discuss more in tomorrow’s blog.
Another important role foster parents play is working alongside the child’s biological family. Foster parents maintain a supportive and non-judgmental attitude towards families and aid in the facilitation of visits and ongoing communication. Foster families can become a source of support for the families of the children they care for, and foster parents have a unique opportunity to model and facilitate healthy relationships for the child and their family. Finally, foster parents also play a role in the reunification process.
The most important role that foster parents play, is simply being a parent. Just like parents of biological children or adopted children, foster parents provide a safe space for children to grow and develop. They teach children important life skills, such as healthy communication, conflict management, problem-solving skills, emotion-regulation, responsibility, honesty, and much more. Foster parents help the children they care for grow into healthy adults and lead successful lives.
For more information about foster parenting and to learn how to become a foster parent, check out tomorrow’s blog, “How do you become a foster parent?”!
Before we get into the details of being a foster parent, let’s begin with defining foster care. Foster care is the temporary arrangement for an adult to care for a child or children whose birth parents are unable to take care of them. Foster care can be either short-term or long-term depending on the family’s situation. Additionally, the goal of foster care can vary between reunification with parents, placement of the child in the care of other family members, or adoption; however, the main goal is often reunification.
Although foster care itself is often temporary, the impact foster families have on children can last a lifetime. Therefore, it is crucial for foster parents to provide a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for the child/children they care for. Foster care creates an opportunity for children and families to heal, while also developing new skills and experiencing personal growth that will help them succeed as individuals and families in the future.
There are also several different types of foster care, which we will briefly cover here: Emergency or urgent care. With this type of foster care, foster parents agree to be available to accept short-term placements whenever they arise. This may include nights and weekends (AdoptUSKids, n.d.).
Kinship care.Kinship caregivers are family members, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles who agree to care for children (AdoptUSKids, n.d.).
Therapeutic or treatment foster care. This type of foster care is intended to provide specialized care for children who have increased physical, social, behavioral, or mental health needs. Therapeutic foster parents receive specialized training to best address the needs of the children they are caring for (AdoptUSKids, n.d.).
Foster-to-adopt care.Although in many cases foster care is temporary and the goal is to reunite children with their birth parents, it can also be a pathway to adoption. There are many families who foster children with the intent of adoption. There are many benefits to this practice, including allowing the child(ren) to develop a bond with the family and reducing the number of foster placements a child experiences (AdoptUSKids, n.d.).
Respite care. Respite care providers step in to give foster parents a break when needed. This can range from a few hours during a week day to a longer period of time such as a weekend or more (AdoptUSKids).
We hope this information has helped you gain a better understanding of what foster care is, as well as what the different types of foster care may look like!
Being a foster parent means making a positive difference in the lives of children and families. Foster parents provide loving, nurturing, and safe homes to children. Foster parenting is a wonderful and rewarding process that can bring joy and satisfaction to you and the children and families you help. However, being a foster parent also involves new and unique roles and challenges that can be tricky to navigate and may take some time to get used to. Some of these challenges may include supporting the needs of a child who has experienced trauma, navigating the financial aspects of foster care, learning to understand the foster system itself, and taking care of your own emotional and mental health in the midst of new responsibilities.
Foster care and foster parents play a crucial role in supporting the development of children and families. Foster families provide a space for children to feel safe and supported, especially when they have experienced challenging situations and trauma. They also provide an opportunity for children to learn how to develop healthy, happy, and safe relationships.
In honor of May being National Foster Care Month, HRI will be sharing information about the responsibilities of foster parenting, how to become a foster parent, and tips to being a successful foster parent throughout the next week.
