How long is the wait going to be for that phone call? The answer to this question depends upon what age and type of child you are waiting for. In Michigan, there are not enough foster families to serve all of the children in need of a home. If you are willing to provide a home to a child between the ages of 12-21, you will receive a call within 24 hours of completing your license. I am really not kidding about that! This age group represents the area of greatest need in Michigan. If you are willing to provide a home to a child between the ages of 5-12, I am pretty sure your phone will ring within 30 days (sooner if you will take sibling groups). If you are signed up for the 0-5 year old age range, you may be waiting for awhile. Michigan has many families waiting to help a young child within this age range and the wait will depend on your counties needs. Again, the wait will be shorter if you are willing to take a sibling group. Please keep in mind that the times and ages are not an official statistic. This is based upon my own personal experience as a foster mom and as a licensing worker in Michigan. I have fostered a wide range of children in my home and I have found that after the first placement, the calls come pretty regularly after the first one.
How should I prepare the
bedroom and for clothing? After the licensing process, you should
have bedroom furniture and a place for clothing already taken care of. It is impossible to buy clothes in advance
because of the wide age range of possibilities and gender. I like to have a some loose pajama's and
sweat pants that may just do in a pinch.
What is more important is to have helper on call to run to the store
just in case. My husband always served
this function but I have also used grandparents and close friends. Remember that some children arrive with
clothing and some with none at all. One
of my baby placements came with diaper bag that had a too small t-shirt , 1
diaper and the clothes he had on. He had
not had a bottle in hours because of the transition from his home, to the
agency, and then to me. My husband ran
to the closest store for formula and some bottles while I tried to keep the
little guy calm.
I had another child arrive in clothes that were filthy and
damp. He was 6 years old and very
embarrassed that I wanted him to take a bath as soon as he arrived. The pajama's I had on hand worked while my
husband made another run to the store.
Can I set up daycare ahead
of time? Most of us are working parents, including
foster parents and day care is important.
I made some calls to the daycare centers near my home to see if they are
properly licensed and able to accept a foster child. Some centers are very willing and able to do
this. Others are not. Your agency may have a list available of day
care centers that are foster child friendly.
It is very valuable to have a neighbor, family member, or friend who can
provide temporary care until you get things set up. In my case, my mother in law is retired and
was always willing to lend me a hand. Keep in mind that the transition to your home is a difficult one for the child. Everything that is familiar has been replaced with something new. You may want to take some time off of work to ease the transition process. I have found that 2-3 days is a pretty good guess.
What about school? If you are preparing to foster a school age child, it is helpful
to know the location and contact information of the schools in your area. All agencies do their best to keep children
within their own school system but because of the shortage of foster families,
this may not be possible. The public
school system is able to enroll a child quickly and are very easy to work
with. I had a teenager placed with me
that had to change schools and it was very simple to call the local high school
and set up a meeting. They had her all
set to attend the next day. The school
will contact the child's previous school to obtain records and may call you
with concerns as soon as they have the records.
Many foster children need extra services so don't panic if this
happens. Set up a meeting with the
school's social worker. This person will
be able to lend you support and answer your questions.
What about medical care? Your agency may have a list of doctors who take the insurance
provided by your state. It was a
revelation to me to find out that not all doctors will see my foster
children. I started my research by
asking the doctor I had taken my biological children too if he accepted the
state's medical plan. He did not but was
able to refer me to a very nice place. I
used this place for all of my foster children after that.
With each new placement, I felt like I was walking a new path. Each child has their own special needs that
will take some creativity to meet. I
found that asking a lot of questions helped me to learn where to go and what to
do. Start by asking your case worker
first. This person is your most valuable
resource. Join a foster parent support
group as soon as you can because these are the people who know the insider
information. They love to share! I have also found people within my circle of friends who are
more than willing to lend a hand when they find out you are helping a child. Good luck on this amazing journey!
Searching for child care programs,Please Find Child Care Programs And Curricullms like Infants, Preppers, Toddlers, Kindergarten and Play Groups.
ReplyDeleteWe're two weeks in to the waiting process - in Houston, TX area. I appreciate your honest portrayal of the process, especially regarding transition.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post this morning about the wait:
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING A FOSTER PLACEMENT: http://mskatiesartstudio.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the information. I wish I understood more about this system, since it's my dream to foster parent. I had no idea there was such a shortage in Michigan-- do you have any idea why? It seems like there are more foster parents than needed in my area.
ReplyDeleteJenn | http://www.achildsdream.org
There are many reasons for the lack of foster parents in Michigan. Working with the State of Michigan is challenging. There are many rules and procedures that have to be followed by a foster family for the safety of the children. Many people do not want to tackle this challenge. In addition, I believe that foster parenting has a bad reputation. There is a common idea that all foster children have severe behavior issues. It is true that some foster children do but not all of them. One of the reasons I write my blog is to educate readers on the real world of fostering and report on how many children can be helped by a loving family. Many children just need three meals a day, a regular bedtime and a little love every day to bloom and grow. Don't let the negative people scare you away from this wonderful way to help children.
ReplyDeleteIm glad I stumbled upon this blog. My husband and I start our MAPP class here in NY in October and I have so many questions and concerns, mostly because we are willing to accept a sibling group of 2 up to the age of 12. Its such a huge range how can you ever be ready?
ReplyDelete