Foster Parenting

Foster care is defined as a system where a certified parent cared for minor children or young people who have been removed from their birth parent or other custodial adults by state authority. The responsibility is assumed by a governmental authority and they help find placement with another family. The foster placements are monitored until the birth family can provide adequate care or the rights of the birth parents are terminated and the child is adopted. A foster parent receives financial reimbursement from the placement agency for each child while the child resides at their house to meet the costs of the child’s needs. The amount of the financial assistance usually varies from state to state and in some cases even city to city.

Foster Parenting – The History

I was surprised to read that the earliest documentation of children being placed in foster homes is found in the Old Testament. There are references that established caring for young dependent children as a duty under law and records show that children were boarded with ‘worthy widows’ who were paid by the collections obtained from congregation.

The English Poor Law led to the development and the regulation of family foster care in the United States in 1562. The law allowed placing the poor children into foster care till they came of age into indentured service. Long after Charles Loring Brace began the free foster home movement in 1853. He was a minister and director of the New York Children’s Aid Society and was concerned about the large number of immigrant children who slept on the streets of New York. He advertised a plan in the South and West for families that were willing to provide free homes to the children for charitable reasons or whatever work they could obtain from the children. This daring and creative action of Brace became the foundation for the foster care movement as it exists today.

During the early 1900s the social agencies began to supervise foster parents. Records were maintained and a child’s needs were considered when placements were made. The federal government began supporting the state inspections of family foster homes. Further, help and services were provided to natural families to enable a child return home. Foster parents were considered to be a part of a professional team that worked with the state to find a permanent house for the dependant children.

Foster Parenting – Basic Requirements

If you are interested in foster parenting then here are some basic requirements that you will have to meet:

• Completion of an application form for family home license.
• A complete background check including criminal history check and finger printing of each adult member of the family.
• You should have a stable family environment in your house.
• You will have to provide character references.
• You will have to clear a personal interview and a home inspection.
• You should be of a minimum age of 21 years.
• Depending on the state that you live in you will have to complete a few pre-service training certifications.

Foster care is a huge responsibility. You are actually taking somebody else’s child into your house with the promise to provide better than the birth parents. If you are considering become a foster parent for the first time, then you must think through a million times before stepping on to it. There may be a possibility that the children will resent you and hold you responsible for taking then away from the birth parents. There are may be a possibility that the child is re-united with the birth parent after staying with you for a couple of years and this can cause a lot of heartache if you have developed a deep bond with the child. Every possibility must be considered before you embark on this journey. You could request the placement agency to help you connect with some foster parents who can share their experiences with you. You will get first hand information as to what are the various possibilities and scenarios that you should be ready to face. Also, the decision to become a foster parent has to be a combined one where in all the members of your family who reside with you must agree to.