1201 Child Placement Services

J. Required Services for Foster Parents

Good foster parents are valuable assets to every aspect of Children’s Services. Not only do these volunteers care for vulnerable children, but also they are the best recruiters for other foster parents. They are resources for birth families learning to parent appropriately. They are resources for adoptive families learning to care for the child whose interests they share, or they themselves may become adoptive parents. They have the best access to teach children skills as they learn to be self-sufficient. Foster parents often hold more credibility as trainers for other foster parents and new social workers than do professional trainers. Foster parents give their time, their energy, their creativity, their love, and their own resources to care for children in DSS custody and placement responsibility. All children who are in the custody and placement authority of a county DSS must be in foster homes licensed by the state, or in another placement specifically approved by the Court. This includes placement with unlicensed relatives.

Foster parents need agency support. The licensing social worker shall make a minimum of quarterly visits, with at least half of these visits occurring in the foster home. In addition, the child’s social worker shall make contact with the foster parent at least once during the first week of placement and at least monthly thereafter. The agency social workers are responsible for monitoring the level of care offered in the placement, to work cooperatively with the foster parent in helping the child to overcome the trauma of placement, and to engage in discussions that are supportive of the foster parent/agency relationship. Foster parents need each other. The agency should help foster parents to meet by providing space and arranging childcare for meetings on a regular basis. The agency should participate in these meetings so that foster parents’ concerns are communicated to the agency.

If a child becomes eligible for adoption, the foster parent should be given consideration as a potential adoptive parent. This consideration should be made without regard to race or ethnic background or the child’s age and the length of placement in the home. (Note: A child who is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe is subject to the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act. A copy of the act is appended to the Family Services Manual, Volume I, Chapter VI, Adoption Services). If another non-relative home is chosen for the child, documentation should contain justification as to why the foster home was not selected.

A key factor influencing the relationship between the agency and foster parents is the attitude of the agency as expressed by the social workers. Foster parents are partners. They should be given all information known about a child, be given a quick and supportive response during crises, and when appropriate, be given an opportunity to help parents work toward reunification.

Foster parents are usually members of fostering families, each with its own set of dynamics. It is critically important that both the licensing social worker and the children’s social workers be aware of the impact that fostering has on a family, as well as the impact that planned or unplanned changes can have on that family. In order to minimize foster family burnout, the agency should encourage their participation in local and state foster parent associations and should provide or arrange for services needed by the family.

Information on licensing, discipline, and the agency foster parent agreement, is in the Family Services Manual, Volume I, Chapter IV, Standards and Procedures for Licensure, Section 1213.