How to Prepare your Home for Foster Care

#fostercare #prepareyourhome #lovethekids
Have you ever wondered if your house is suitable for Foster Care?
Questions like; How big does my house have to be?
Do I have to own my home?
Can other people live with me?
How big do the bedrooms have to be?
Can kids share a bedroom?
What inspections happen? Etc...

We hope this short video helps you take the next step to YOUR foster care journey!

Link to our Foster Care Playlist

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[mimmyrose]

Just wanted to comment after seeing this empty comment section; I think this is a great and informative video 👍

[ehhhh]

Keep in mind everyone, your state will be different, here in New Mexico it is way more relaxed there is a growing need for foster parents majorly!

[ligerleaf]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Excellent and to the point like I prefer!

[andreamerchant]

In California you do need a dresser as well but the county did offer to provide one.

[krystalbaker]

I do agree with everything that you're saying for fostering the foster children or child just saying that now

[tizrahisrael]

Excellent video thank youvfor taking time out to do it.

[v.y.]

I just came across your video. Very informative! Does this apply to adoption also?

[ashleyshayday]

I'm 36 years old and I've lived in Alabama all my life.
My husband and I have been married for 17 years, and we do not have any children of our own.
Now, I have been interested in learning about what options were available and more affordable in becoming a foster parent that would like to adopt a child in waiting. Now I know some families don't luck up as fast in finding a newborn baby, but their has been some foster parents for a child in waiting that was able to foster a child as young as 16 months old and then later adopted that child.
I wonder if the foster care will be honest with us and tell us the reasons of why this child is in waiting. Does this child have any physical or learning disabilities. Or are they perfectly healthy and just in need of a safe and loving home.
And when a child is in waiting, does that mean that the adoption is closed and there will be no conrinued contact of the biological parents with the foster parent who might asopt the child later on?
Cause I know some adoption cases are open and the foster mother keeps in contact with the bio mother.
But I do worry about how to provide a home for a child that meets all needs required.
For one, my husband and I are planning to move into a 60 year old house once we finish restoring and repairing everything and remodeling. This small white house has a new tin roof on it.
But we are going to have new floors put in and new windows and I'm going to have new kitchen cabinets put in.
There is only a living room, dining room, the kitchen, I want to find a space in the house to have a walk in pantry built. And possibly one with a lock so I can keep cleaning supplies in a basket together away from children that cannot have any access to it.
I'm not really sure what most foster do in order to protect their children from cleaning supplies in the house.
There is only 2 bedrooms in this house. The master bedroom and then the 2nd bedroom is just next roo ot and it's a pretty large bedroom. I imagine 2 children could share the room either with a double bed or 2 twin beds if they are the same gender.
But old houses didn't always have a closet. And this 2nd bedroom does not have a closet. I was going to have one made though. But I'm not sure how long and deep the closest should be if it's ok for 2 children to share closest space.
You mentioned something about led in paint. Well, there is not telling I this house would pass that test or not. It's 60 years old. And so before I go and repaint both the inside and outside of the house? Who do I call to coke check the house to make sure there is no evidence of led. And if there is, how can I remove it.

Now another issues for safety you spoke of if clean tap water that is safe to drink.
Well, it's been issued that we the residence in our city is not suppose to drink the water in our tap. Not even bpiling the water will make it safe to drink. But I do use the water to shower and to wash dishes and clothes. So that is why I and my neighbors stock up on gallons of water plus bottles of water for drinking.
We are always in supply of good water to drink.
But not from the tap water.
And I'd hate to think that something like led in paint or my tap water could keep me from becoming a foster parent.
I cannot fix the problem with our water system. But I do stock up on clean drinking water. So will a social worker and foster care accept that? I mean all of my friends who are my neighbors who have kids of all ages do just fine but don't drink the tap water. Only frank water that they stock up.
So if it works for them, and for us, can't we do the same?
Now I've heard that you have better chances of getting picked to be a foster parentfor a child in waiting that you may choose to adopt 6 months later if 1 parent is a stay at home parent that watches over and takes care of the child at home while the other spouse works. I don't mind being a stay at home mother. But as the child gets older and in school, I might want to work part time or even do a stay at home job of some kind if possible.
But I want to know what type of parents are most likely chosen.
And what questions foes a social worker ask you about your past and how you were raised and yoir marriage? What specifically do they want to know?
And I heard that the government will provide for the foster child's medical bills until they are 18 or sometimes even 21 years old.
That they may provide an additional check that isn't much, but is some means to help provide for all of the childs needs for nutritional food, and clothes, shoes, school supplies etc.
And I heard some foster children can go to college for free. Now I don't know if it's possible for them to do that I Alabama, but it would be great for the child if they did do that. I don't know if they pay for tuition and books and everything though.
I'm also not sure if they wish for the foster parents ro write down every little thing they use that money to spend on in providing for your child's monthly needs. I know it's probably not going to be enough without investing more money into providing for the child, but I just want to have a better understanding of what financial and mecical support we can expect to help us provide for a child in waiting in hopes of adopting. And how long would we more in likely wait if we wanted a baby as young as possible or atleast 1 years old?

So how would you suggest for me to fix up this 60 year old house we are restoring and transforming.
Who should I call to inspect it to make sure it passes safety standards for a foster care or adoption agency.so that way while I'm at the beginning stages of stuff, I can do what is needed to fix this house in the way it needs to be to pass safety rules.
And also, how can my husband and I prepare ourselves and our marriage for the major change that is parenthood in the future?
And how can we best learn how to properly raise a foster child d and how to reward good behavior and give unpleasant consequences for bad behavior and do time outs, grounding or taking privileges away when they break the rules etc?

Now one more safety concern I have is allowing a child to play outside the house. We have alot of land for them to run and play. But still, they could run towards the highway and there is no fence to stop them.
Now, I will have a large portion of land that will be ours. Must I fence all over it?
Cause that's ALOT of fence.
Or is it possible to just have a certain portion of the yard fenced in so the kids can play maybe in the back yard instead?
I just wantto make sure I understand all the rules. And we so not have a pool. But way off in the distance but in plain sight on somebody elses property, there is a pond. So is that an issue that will come up?
I mean, it's not like I would ever have small kids outside not being watched by an adult.
We would make sure they was in a safe area to play.

[matildecontreras]

Like, If you have a pool, what type of license do you have to pass? Thanks for sharing.

[elizabethbeasley]

Hello. Do you have to do a fence around an index above ground pool that is not permanent. We have a chain link fence then a deck with a gate. Ty

[ambercimburek]

do you have to pay to adopt from foster care?

[katrynreel-myers]

I live behind a locked gate and EMS won't come up here, guess that puts us out?