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First, call us to ensure that you don't have any questions.
Next, you will be invited to an open house where you will be given a detailed overview of the foster care and adoption program, the application and licensing process.
After that, you will begin at least 21 hours of foster parent training. The kinds of topics you will discuss include:
• Reasons you want to foster a child
• Your childhood
• Your marriage (if applicable)
• Your lifestyle and whether it could accommodate a child
• Your finances
• Your parenting philosophy
• Your support system: during this time, a study of your home will be conducted. A background check of law enforcement records will be made of your and your family. Your friends, relatives and employers will be contacted to give character references for you and your family.
When you have successfully completed the preparation sessions and the homestudy has been completed with a recommendation for you to become a foster parent, you will receive a license to be a foster parent. You've made it!
The entire licensing process should be completed in about five months form the start date you attend the open house. Once you are licensed as a foster parent, you will need to attend training sessions on issues such as child development, attachment disorder, and how to support relationships between children and families. You will also have to renew your foster parent license annually.
The length of time a child in foster care will live with you will vary from child to child. During the time a child resides with you, the state will reimburse you for at least part of the cost of caring for the child. The reimbursement rate is determined by the age of the child. In addition, health cost for children in foster care are covered by Medicaid. A ChildNet Child Advocate will meet with you and the child(ren) in your home at least once a month and will be available to assist with concerns and questions.
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