Becoming A Foster Parent--Part 2--Beginning The Process

I can't believe it was last November when I wrote Part 1 of this series. That is how busy I have been getting ready for my new role as foster parent for my minor relative.

Shortly after responding to the letter from social services asking if I wanted to be considered as a placement for her, and of course saying yes, the ball starting rolling. If successful, it was going to be an interstate placement, which is more difficult than an instate one.

My law degree, especially my juvenile law class, and my previous experience with CASA were invaluable to me during the process. For example, I understood what social services meant when they said they had a dual goal of both return home and placement with a relative. That meant they were first going to try to return her home, and if that didn't work, she would be placed with a relative. Often people don't understand why a social worker would try to return a child back to an abusive home. But it is thought that it is in the best interest to reunite families when possible. Everything is guided by what is considered to be the best interests of the child. The hope is that with counseling and other services, the family can be whole again. Because, who really doesn't want to be with their parents when possible?

What social services wanted to see was the depth of my interest. I said I wanted to take her into my house, but would my actions back that up? For example, they wanted to see if made trips to see her, which in my case involved long distance travel. Would I send her letters and gifts? Would I follow up on other recommendations and requirements of the placement process?

The answer for me was yes. Fortunately I was able to make the trips and complete the requirements, which included marathon phone calls, emails, and paperwork. There was a hurry up and wait aspect to the process, which can't be helped, I guess, because of the mass number of cases in the system.

I  knew I had to take a parenting class, but was unsure of where and when. One day I got a call from my local department of social services saying that my parenting class was to start the next month. There would be 6 class meetings that included homework assignments. I realized I was looking forward to starting this next step.