Exploring Family Relationships

Becoming a foster parent can be an extremely rewarding experience. You will be providing a safe, loving, and stable living environment to a child who has most likely experienced strife and difficulty with their biological family. Becoming a foster parent can also be challenging, so it's important to be as prepared as possible before you embark on the fostering journey. Here are three tips for becoming a new foster parent.

Prepare Your Home 

Once you apply for a foster child and have your application approved, you may have a child placed with you quite quickly. For this reason, it's a good idea to have your home ready for foster children before you begin the application process. Your home will be inspected by a case worker before a child is placed with you.

The requirements vary by location, but in general, you need to offer your foster child a clean, well-maintained home. They should have their own room, set up for a child. They should also have a dedicated area to study and do homework.

Sign Up for Orientation

Foster parents are typically required to attend an orientation before they formally apply to become foster parents. Orientation may be spaced out over a few different sessions. This is where you will learn all of the details for how to apply and become a foster parent, including the requirements in your county.

By the end of your foster parent orientation, you will know what to expect and have a much clearer idea of whether becoming a foster parent is the right path for you.

Join a Foster Parent Support Group

Becoming a foster parent is such a unique experience and you will likely have many questions. Once you begin fostering, you will be assigned to a case worker, but another important source of information, as well as emotional support, is a local foster parent support group. These groups sometimes meet in person and sometimes meet virtually.

You will get to meet and befriend other people who are becoming foster parents for the first time. Some will be single while others will be married, with or without biological children. Regardless of your circumstances, there is likely someone in your foster parent support group who can relate.

If you feel compelled to foster a child and help them have a better chance in life, start by following these tips and also filling out a foster parent application in your county. Keep these tips in mind when learning how to be a foster parent, and consider applying for programs near you to get started.