Hey friends,
I wanted to take some time to answer a few of the questions we've been asked so far about our decision to become foster parents. If you missed it, I announced it on my blog HERE. We are truly blessed with amazing friends and family who have all been so supportive and excited for us. Thank you! I know a lot of times foster care and foster children are looked at in a bad light but thankfully, we haven't had to deal with that kind of response from anyone. Now let's get down to business...
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| Foster Child(ren) Room a work in progress |
A- We decided to go with a private Christian agency mostly because they are able to offer more support then the State usually does...and we really want that! The agency we chose is very team oriented and I love the fact that we will be working with others (care workers, counselors, birth parents, etc.) to bring these families back together. The fact that there are people for me to call whenever I need them, that will be actually be there, is just awesome!
Q- What age kids will you have? How many kids will you have?
A- We *hope* to have children 0-3yrs. At least that's who we're preparing a room for. :) I know there is a huge need for foster parents for older children but right now we feel like this is the best age fit for us and where we feel called to minister. We do feel that in the future we'll be open to older children as well but not yet. Whether this is the age we actually get, we'll see! We will be open to sibling groups but of course with the age restrictions, that only allows for so many so there is no way to know how many we'll have.
Q- How will be you able to give them back?!
A- I don't know! :) Many people talk about how they could never do foster care because they wouldn't be able to give the kids back. And that's OK because not everyone is called to foster care. We DO realize there will be a lot of pain and struggles that go along with having these children in our home...but we also know God will be there with us every step of the way and are already praying for God to prepare our hearts. All the children in this specific agency are voluntarily placed which usually results in these parents/guardians also being very committed to getting their lives in order so they can be reunited with their child(ren)...that is what we, and our team, are working towards...knowing that these kids have loving parents who are just facing some struggles has already made us feel more at peace.
Q- When do you finish training? What do you have to do to get ready?
A- We have already finished our training classes (the state of TN uses PATH- Parents As Tender Healers) and we had a medication administration class and last night we had CPR/First Aid training. We've submitted our application and after we come out clean on our background checks and finger printing we will have interviews (separate and together, not sure how many), we have to get physicals and TB tests, they have to talk to our references, we'll have a house visit for them to see our home and make sure it is foster kid friendly/ready. I am still working on setting up our kid room...SO fun! Depending on how long all of that takes (and if we get approved!) will determine when we actually get certified but we're hoping by the end of this year/beginning of next.
Q- When will you get your first kid?
A- After we get certified we'll be waiting for our first call saying they have a child/children waiting...hopefully we won't be waiting too long! Then we will head a little about them and we all determine if the child is a good fit.
Q- What if you have really bad kids?
A- Then we'll have really bad kids, a powerful God and a team who is supporting us and working with us and these children. :) Since these kids are voluntarily placed, they usually do not come with quite as much trauma/hardship as children who have been taken from a home for abuse or neglect. Of course, they will still be hurting and need lots of love and care but we have great resources and good training.
Alrighty, that's all the questions I remember. Feel free to ask any other ones you have in the comments or on FB (if you came from there). Hope you all have had a great Veterans Day! A BIG thank you to all those who have served and are serving (and to your families)!!!
Thanks for the shout out to military FAMILIES :) And good job with the Q&A! Love you!
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