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Whitney was the girl I had always wanted!

I had a family full of boys! My grandkids were grown and I had lots of love and an empty house! I thought a girl would be fun. I work full-time so a teen was just right.

At first Whitney didn’t pay much attention to me except to show me her attitude! Her mother was schizophrenic and Whitney had suffered a lot of abuse and neglect. Whitney was in a rehab program for alcohol and all kinds of drug abuse. School didn’t matter one bit to her.

I decided to concentrate on school and just loving her – despite her mouth! I made her do chores and praised her for it. I met with her teachers and helped her with schoolwork. I praised her for that, too. She needed to matter to someone.

Whitney thought she was going to go crazy like her Mama. I kept telling her “You’re not going to be crazy! You’re going to make it!”

Finally, we started to feel like a family. We talked about life choices and had fun together! Gradually, over four years, she got her act together: Whitney will graduate high school this June and be on the road to her own life. I guess my home was a pretty good rest stop along the way.

The Need

In Lucas County, there are some 1,000 children who, because they have experienced abuse or neglect cannot live safely in their own homes. About 40 percent of these children are in the care of a relative, but there are hundreds more in foster care.

There is a continuous need for additional foster parents to care for these children. Foster parents not only tend to the daily needs of the children in their care, they provide structure, nurture self-esteem and ease the anxiety of separation from the birth family.

Some children have more serious needs, such as emotional, psychological and behavioral problems. These children may need foster parents who have more advanced training and may benefit from specialized school environments and ongoing care from medical professionals.

Foster parenting is challenging, to say the least. It’s often called “the toughest job you'll ever love.” Foster parents love a child and make that child part of their family…and then let go. They understand that foster parenting is temporary, that each child in our community needs a permanent family.

Not only are they surrogate caregivers, they are available to offer support to the child’s birth family. They help facilitate visits between children and their parents, and when safe and appropriate help re-establish bonds between them.

What Is Foster Care?

Foster care is a protective service offered to families who can no longer safely remain together. It provides temporary, alternative care for children in an agency-certified home for a planned period of time while the LCCS staff helps the birth family work out its problems. Sometimes this takes a few days, sometimes months. The goal is safe reunification of children with their birth families.

When a child cannot live safely at home, LCCS first looks to a relative to provide care. If an appropriate relative is not available, the child is placed into foster care.

The pain of separation can be great. Foster parents help children bear that pain. They also become advocates for the child – at school, with physicians, and with the child’s caseworker. Most importantly, foster parents provide care in a loving, healthy, family setting.

Children belong in families, and thus our goal is that every child remains in a family environment. Most children are placed into a FAMILY (basic) foster home; however, some children have more serious needs that require specialized care. These children live in a TREATMENT foster home. Teenagers who will become of legal age while in the care of LCCS live in GIFT (Gaining Independence For Teens) foster homes. EMERGENCY foster homes are used when a child must be placed after hours. These foster parents provide initial care until the agency can identify a long-term placement.

Only 3-4 percent of the children on the LCCS caseload are in a non-family setting. These children have extreme needs and live in group homes or institutions.

Myths
Myth: I could never be a foster parent because I’m not married and don’t make a lot of money. I don’t even own my own house.
Fact: There are no such requirements. You can be married or single, a homeowner or a renter. The only financial requirement is that you have enough of an income to support yourself and your family aside from the money you are paid to care for foster children.

Myth: Foster parents have to stay at home with the children and I work full-time. I guess that excludes me.
Fact: No, it doesn’t. Many foster children attend daycare – paid for by LCCS when funds are available – which allows foster parents to work outside the home.

Myth: My children are grown and out of the house. I’m too old to be a foster parent.
Fact: There is no age requirement (other than you must be at least 21). Many “empty nesters” find foster parenting to be a rewarding experience.

Myth: I don’t have any children, and to be a foster parent you need to have parenting experience.
Fact: Not true! Many of our foster parents are childless. They are, however, responsible people who have made a commitment to children and through the training provided by LCCS are very capable of caring for foster children.

Myth: Foster children have been abused so much that they’re beyond repair. I wouldn’t really be making a difference, anyway.
Fact: Children are amazingly resilient. Foster parents can make the difference by providing a structured, nurturing environment. We need to remember that these children will grow up to be adults in our society. How we respond to their needs now will largely determine what kind of citizens they will be in the future.

Myth: Once I take in a foster child, I’m on my own without any help.
Fact: Children need stability, and LCCS offers foster parents plenty of support to maintain an even keel. For starters, before you even take in your first child, the LCCS staff works with you to develop a profile of the type of child best suited to the experience and capabilities of your family.

There is respite care for those times you need a break. And, in addition to the stipend you are paid for the care you provide, there are clothing vouchers available periodically throughout the year.

Myth: I would have to provide medical insurance for a foster child in my home.
Fact: Foster parents do not pay any of a child’s medical expenses, other than over-the-counter medicines and supplies.

Support

Financial
Foster parents are given daily stipends to defray the expense of caring for a child. The stipend increases significantly relative to any special needs the child may have, and in accordance with the training and expertise of the foster parent(s).

Health Insurance
Foster parents pay no out-of-pocket expenses for health care for the child, as LCCS ensures medical insurance coverage for each foster child. If the child’s birth family does not provide health insurance coverage, LCCS will make sure the child receives Medicaid or some other coverage.

Daycare
Many foster parents have full-time jobs and cannot look after foster children during the day. Children Services assists foster parents in finding appropriate day care.

Association
The local Foster Parent Association holds fundraising efforts throughout the year to benefit children in foster care. The Association also serves as a network of peers who offer advice and share experiences, and coordinates training and monthly meetings.

Requirements:

Basic Requirements
There is an age requirement – foster parents must be at least 21 years old. They must also have income sufficient to meet the needs of their household, and must be able to provide emergency transportation (either own a car or have access to one).

At least one foster caregiver or applicant in the home shall be able to read, write and speak in English. However, cultural factors such as race, marital status, sexual orientation, ethnicity and religious affiliation have no bearing. It also does not matter if foster parents rent or own their home, or whether they have children of their own.

Foster parents must possess basic parenting skills. But since foster children have special needs, foster parents must also have special skills. They must be patient and forgiving. They must be committed to the best interest of the children, which means loving and nurturing them…and then often giving them back. Foster parents must also be supportive of the children’s birth families.

Training/Licensure
State certification is required for “family” (basic) foster care and for “specialized” foster care. Specialized foster homes are defined as those providing care for children with more intense needs (i. e. behavioral or emotional disorders) or severe medical problems.

Requirements for family foster homes are 24 hours of initial training and 20 hours for annual re-certification. Additional training is required for specialized foster care.

LCCS provides all of its foster care and adoption training free of charge.

Home Study
Prior to licensure, foster parents must complete the home study process. LCCS caseworkers visit the home for a site and safety check. While this is not a “white glove test,” the home must have adequate space and accommodations for the child. A working telephone, smoke alarms and fire extinguisher are also required.

Additionally, Children Services may ask for inspections of the electrical circuitry and water.

References
Children Services asks potential foster parents to provide a list of personal references for themselves and any person age 18 and older also residing in the home. The references must be non-relatives. Agency caseworkers contact these references to learn more about the applicant.

Background Check
Children Services checks each foster parent application against criminal records and for any history of mistreating children. Juveniles residing in the home are checked, as well. Finger printing is also required. Minor criminal offenses do not necessarily rule out an applicant. However, individuals who have serious offenses such as drug trafficking, crimes of violence or a crime against a child (i.e. endangering, assault) are disqualified.

Medical Statement
State law requires a medical statement from a licensed physician for all members of the household, including children. This is necessary to ensure that the foster parent(s) and others living in the home do not have any physical, emotional or mental condition that would endanger a foster child.

The Adoption Option
Some foster parents may also be considering adoption, which has different and separate requirements. In these instances, LCCS can provide a “dual licensing study” that combines many of the requirements for foster care and adoption into one process.