Foster Care Support Group
Foster care is a system by which a certified, stand-in parent(s) cares for minor children or young peoples who have been removed from their birth parents or other custodial adults by state authority. Responsibility for the young person is assumed by the relevant governmental authority and a placement with another family found.
Our foster daughter has been with us for a year as of today! Overall, it has been a good experience, and our family would be missing something if she was not here. Things we didn't expect, though, were the many hospital visits (which finally seem to be slowing down), a physical inability to go to traditional school, and a bio-mom who will let her have next to no contact with her siblings (not in state care, so the visits can't be forced).
A question for the rest of you: How did your lives change unexpectedly when you started taking in foster kids?
A question for the rest of you: How did your lives change unexpectedly when you started taking in foster kids?
In my situation, they placed a young lady in my home KNOWING she was pregnant, but didn't tell me. Long story short, she is Deaf with some other special needs. My foster daughter wanted to keep the baby (and, of course, I had many, many concerns.......). I asked that she be given a Real Care baby (a computerized doll) to experience what having a baby would be like. The county said "no," because she might break it. The county was willing to let her keep and possibly "break" a real human child - but wouldn't give her the computerized $600 doll?!?! I couldn't understand it......
In addition, every time they came to the home, they brought an interpreter. NOT a sign language interpreter - but a native language interpreter. My foster child is DEAF and could not speak English - let alone her parents' native language. OH, and this interpreter's child was in the SAME class as my foster daughter. Her child was also Deaf - but the interpreter did not know ANY sign.... Talk about conflict of interest!! :)
I am glad, though, that I put up with all of the stupidity. This was 9 years ago and my daughter is now living independently in her own apartment with a full time job. It was worth it...........