Foster Care Stories
We Are A Force For Families®
How Do You Qualify for Foster Care?
At Youth Villages, we always welcome individuals who would like to offer their services as foster parents. Fostering is not an easy task. However, you get to provide a home for a child who has been displaced from their own for any number of reasons. Aside from being a caring and loving guardian, there are specific legal requirements you must pass before qualifying as a foster parent. Those include:
- Age: The minimum age requirement is 21 years. Some states allow foster parents who are at least 18 years old.
- Income: To become a foster parent, you must prove that you have a regular source of income that places you well above the poverty line. Foster parents can work away from home. However, if the foster child requires daycare, you must provide it out of pocket.
- Background checks: All applicants must submit to a criminal background check for themselves and their family members. You should not have a felony or misdemeanor convictions relating to child or elder abuse or sexual assault.
- Proof of marriage or divorce: This doesn’t mean single parents are discouraged from applying. However, some states will not certify a home with unmarried adult partners unless they are relatives.
- Home assessment: This check of your living quarters ensures that the applicant’s home has enough room to house a foster child. Other family members will also be assessed to determine the state and stability of their home environment.
- Fill out an application: The most important step to becoming a foster care parent is filling out an application. Our staff at Youth Villages are here to help guide you through the process. Remember to attend all training sessions coordinated in your area. These sessions will help you be the best parent to a needy child.
What to Expect from the Foster Care Process
The foster care system is designed to provide temporary homes for needy children. The length of time a child stays under your care depends on specific factors, such as the ease of finding their biological parents or relatives or the presence of an adopting family.
Foster care is different for every parent. While some people have always known that one day they would like to contribute to society through foster care and adoption, others found their calling later in life.
While getting into foster care is unique for every individual, some common experiences are shared by all foster and adoptive parents. For example, it doesn’t matter which state you come from; all aspiring foster parents will be taken through a background check and a home assessment. The adoption agency needs to ensure your home can provide a safe and comfortable stay for the foster child.
You need to be patient because these processes take time and matching you with a child takes even longer. Most foster parents describe the waiting time as the most stressful and hardest part of the journey. Take heart in knowing that you are not alone in this. Once the wait is over and you can finally be assigned a child to foster, you will find the experience worth the wait. Don’t worry about the jitters; our child welfare workers at Youth Villages will always be there to help guide you.
How to Sign Up for Foster Care
- The first step to becoming a foster parent is to determine if you are eligible. Specific criteria are met to be eligible for this type of work.
- Begin the process by calling a local agency or organization that handles the foster care program in your state and county. Explain your level of interest, and they will share information with you on how to begin the process.
- Contact your county’s Social Services Department or Child Protective Services, who will forward you to agencies in your area that handle foster care placements. The agency will run an extensive background check on both members of the household, including personal interviews and criminal records check, as well as home visits before allowing you to take part in caring for foster children.
- Once approved and placement has been found, the agency will arrange for you to spend time at the foster home and help you prepare for your first week. The agency will also help you obtain the necessary training. The type of training depends on the age of the children but usually includes classes in first aid, nutrition, child development, and discipline; this is not a substitute for their parent’s involvement with their children but is an integral part of their care.
- Depending on the state, you must start as early as two weeks before officially beginning caring for a child. In most states, you will work with the agency while they go through the legal process of gaining custody of the child. This process usually takes many months, so be prepared to take on the role of a foster parent during this time.
- Once you are officially approved to care for a particular child, you will become their guardian and have legal rights to care for them and all their needs.
Virtual Info Sessions
Are you interested in learning more about fostering and/or adopting? Join us for an info session where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with the staff and learn more about the process. Anyone is welcome to attend. Click on a session in your region below to register.
If you have any questions or can’t make any of the sessions, please call us at 1-888-MY-YV-KID or submit an inquiry here.
West Tennessee
If these times do not work with your schedule or if you have any other questions, please give us a call 1-888-MY-YV-KID.
