Fostering/Adoption - could anyone who has fostered/adopted tell me what criteria is needed in regards of?

Happle

No problem.

A guy that I work with has just been refused, but it was due to health realted issues.

Social services were not concerned that the new child would need to share a room with the first child. There also would not have been as much space as you indicate as they needed to move the boiler out to the box room to make enough space for a second bed.

I think you may have ot adopt a girl though.

shannonhf05

i dont no the rules and regulations regarding fostering and adoption but i was fostered and had some really terrible foster parents one lot told us daily that if it was not for the money we would not be there all i can ask that if you get a child be kind and patient and loving the child coming to you is already going to be troubled and has being to hell and back they need love stability and reassureance that you are not going to hurt them in any way shape or form i think you sound like a lovely person who could make a positive difference in a childs life and i wish you all the best for the future with fostering and adoption i truely dont think it matters weather you are single married co habiting or whatever as long as you can help a child that is all that metters but think carefully before you go into it there are some true horror stories out there of why kids are in care you will need a very strong personality to keep you going so good luck and be carefull i dont want to see you or your daughter get hurt or downhearted by the way the system treats some of the children in there care i really dont

â™¥â™¥Mum To Superkidsâ™¥â™¥

Ok, the foster care process is reasonably standard in most places, there may be some monor differences, but not many. Firstly, the criteria is pretty open. You can be single, living together, married, etc. You are given a comprehensive criminal history check, and they ask about your income, but there aren't any actual income restraints. For adoption however, you do need to go a lot more indepth with your income info, as they need to see how you will suppor a child financially. You can own or rent your home, but there must be space for the child, and he or she must be able to have their own room.
There is no employment status or education level requirement, they recognise that raising children is about life skills, and most of their questions will focus around this.
Your home is checked for safety, such as medicines and poisons locked away, pets being child friendly, etc, pool fences, stair gates, etc.
They will talk to you about your own upbringing, your relationships with your family, your partner, friends and community. They will ask you about your parenting style, and give you some scenarios so you can tell them how you would handle children in a range of situations.

Usually, they come out to your house for a few interviews, and they're really not that bad! My social worker was lovely, and we ended up having a good chat most of the time! At the end of the assessment process, you have to attend some training classes, the length varies from place to place, but it's usually around a month. These are actually really useful, and they're more for giving you the information that you want, rather than real 'classes'. I enjoyed mine.
For me, the whole process from start to finish took around 9 months, but it really depends on the availability of resources, how desperate the need is, etc.
Oh, and I nearly forgot, there's an initial information session as well, to give you some general info on what it's all about.
I think that's everything, feel free to email me if you want to know more, or need any help.

ZANNY

im not sure what you need if you are out side the uk but in the uk you have to be under the age of 45-50,you dont need to be married they do take single parent's. if you want a baby you cant smoke as they dont like that. you basically need a big enough home for another child and they do check your back ground with the police. but if you want to go for it then good luck. my parents were foster parents for over 30 yrs and i was one of the kids they fostered but i was lucky enough for them to adopt me. go for it,its worth while give a child the love and surport they need.

StacieG

You can go to:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website.cfm?typeID=10&rate_chno=AZ-0002E
and look for your state's listing so you can find out what the requirements are in your state.

In our state it's not a problem if the children share a room as long as they're the same gender and halfway close in age AND each have a separate bed.

Generally a foster family would need to have adequate space for an additional child, a safe environment for them (no health hazards and the foster family would have child abuse & neglect and criminal background checks done, the family would need to go through foster parent training classes, have a home visit & stuff like that.

I don't know of ANY state in our great nation that has enough foster families. Bless you for wanting to help. There is a vast shortage of foster and adoptive families & it's a terrible thing when they don't have enough homes for the children in care.

From my understanding no state has a requirement about owning rather than renting or about your marital status (if you're married you need to be married a certain amount of time to show stability that the child will need, but if you're single, I'm not aware of any issues there).

Go for it!

BPD Wife

I'm not sure that I know the absolute answer to your question, but I would suggest speaking with the foster care agency (or Children & Youth Services) in your local area and ask what their regulations are. I'm not sure if it differs from state to state, however, a friend of mine in PA, has two foster children. The girl was adopted through foster care and has her own room. The boy has not been adopted yet, but he shares a room with my friend's bio-child as they are close in age.

Good luck to you.

rhjh0512@sbcglobal.net

I do believe they have to have their own bed but not sure about room. It may be different in each state or county

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