FOSTER CARE INFORMATION

What is foster care?
Foster care is temporary care in a safe, supportive and stable environment for children who cannot live with birth parents until their birth parents resolve their issues.

Who are the children in foster care?
They are children who are temporarily separated from their families due to parental neglect, abuse or abandonment. They are children of all ages and races. The children in the most need of homes are children with special needs, including teenagers, siblings and children with emotional or behavioral issues.

Like any other children, foster children need love and security. They need loving, dependable adults to guide and encourage them. They have a deep love for their birth parents, even though they have been neglected or mistreated by them.

The bottom line is that children in foster care are like all other children, but they have experienced or are currently experiencing a painful period in their young lives.

How long is temporary?
A child's stay in foster care may be as short as overnight or as long as it takes to achieve a permanent plan for the child. The first goal most often considered is to reunite the family if possible.

Who are foster families?
Foster families are people who enjoy parenting and who are willing to share their homes, time, energy and love with children who have special needs because of abuse and neglect.
They are:
•Able to provide for their own family's financial needs
• Single, married, divorced, or widowed
• Attend required training sessions
• Are willing to work with the agency to meet a child's needs and to ensure
  that the child has a permanent family by reunifying the child with his or
  her birth family or, possibly through adoption.

What are the rewards of becoming a foster family?
• A chance to use your talents and knowledge to help others
•A feeling of joy and accomplishment
•A rewarding experience
•An opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child
• Helping a child reach their full potential
• Providing a better life for a child

Is foster parenting for everyone?
No