It’s sad but true that many children today are still being abused or neglected by their parents. In these cases it is society’s responsibility to step in and protect that child; temporarily become their parents. That’s what foster parents do for children. These people have a deep sense of caring and commitment to children. Foster parents have a warmth and understanding they want to share and express with the children who need to be protected. Unfortunately, there are not enough foster parents in our communities to take in the children that need our help. So, if you think you could be this committed, caring, stand-in parent, you should give some thought to becoming a foster parent. Need more information? Well, here’s where we tell you exactly what a foster parent does and how to become one.

What They Do

Foster parents will take in a child who needs a safe and stable environment temporarily. They are there to help that child and their family by working with professionals, friends and family members. They will guide the child during the time they are in foster care and help them return to their own family, if possible. This makes being a Foster Parent difficult because you may grow attached to the children that stay with you and then find it difficult to return them to their own family. You need to bear in mind that your ultimate goal is to assist that child to be able to return to a loving and stable environment within their own home. In many cases, the parents will be able to visit their child while they are in foster care, which gives the foster parent an opportunity to work closely with the parents as well as the child. There are all kinds of children who enter foster care. Some children are there because of a parent’s illness or death, conflict within the family or they may have been neglected, abused or abandoned. The agency that is the ward of the child will try to place a foster child within a foster family that is most suited for them. It is the task of that agency to try and match the cultural, religious and ethnic background of the child with that of the foster family. They will also try and keep siblings together by placing them in a family that can accept two or more children at a time. This all helps the personal crisis of that child become less severe. A child can stay with a foster family anywhere from a week to several years. If they are a permanent ward of the crown and they are waiting to be adopted or become legally independent, they may spend several years within a foster home. However, the average stay in a foster home for any child is six months.

How To Become One

The fist step is to contact your local Children’s Aid Society, Family and Children’s Services or Provincial/Territory Government Office and let them know that you are interested in becoming a foster parent. Next, you may be invited to an information session with other families who also wish to become foster families. If you are still interested, an agency worker who specializes in foster care will visit you. They will want to know more about you and why you want to become a foster parent. If you are accepted, most agencies have an orientation program for new foster parents before children are placed with them. There may at this time be a waiting period while the agency finds a child that is suited to your particular home. Once a child is placed in your care, the agency worker assigned to that child will visit the foster home regularly to discuss progress and problems, and to advise and consult with the foster parents.

If you have decided that this is something that you would like to be a part of, then please contact your local government office and begin the process. There are many children out there who may need your loving care and you could potentially make a significant difference in their life. Seeing a happy and healthy child in your home is a great reward for the time you give as a foster parent.