Can I Put My Child in Temporary Foster Care : In this article, we will discuss Can I Put My Child In Temporary Foster Care. We all are aware that being a single mother is not at all a joke. There are too many responsibilities on shoulders and single mothers have to take care of everything. Raising a child is challenging and especially if a woman is career-oriented, it becomes miserable for her to take care of child, work and home. Struggle of single mothers is real and there is no option to back off from any of their responsibilities. But, what if there is a solution where single mothers can work and also raise their kids? Interesting, right? Yes, single mothers can keep their kids in foster care.
Voluntary foster care option is a well-known one but quite few people are aware of this. Single mothers who wish to focus on their career can think of keeping their child in foster care. It is not similar to adoption and it is not at all the outcome of abuse or ignorance. With foster care, single moms have complete control over their children’s lives. And, even what they are doing when you are away or even you might have less control if you wish to have. This all depends on what you choose and what is best for your current situations, lengthy-time with your kids or even less access to them. It all depends whether you wish to spend time with your child or not.
If your current position is not allowing you to take care of your child and you wish to raise your child and be her or his permanent mother, voluntary foster care for temporary is the best option available to you. There is no doubt that you will be only their legal parent and you will have a say in your kids decisions on every day basis. It is only a temporary change in guardianship, so that your kid will not be staying with you for a while. You may also check Federal Housing Programs For Single Mothers.
How Can A Foster Home Affect Your Child?
The act of leaving the house is traumatic but for several youngsters, it is only the starting. Foster kids have to go through tough times in life. These kids move from one home to another and they have to adjust to the new atmosphere. There are few children who return to their birth families after a short time. Kids in foster care have to relocate and they meet so many people in this process. Staying in foster care is tough for children in any situation, and it might have a huge influence on a child’s behavioral and mental health. They have to start from scratch every time they shift to a new house that leads to detachment and attachment problems impacting the child’s capacity to sustain and build healthy relationships.
Foster kids are among the most vulnerable in the world, so there is no doubt that they suffer a lot. Being a foster child, it is common to feel confused, fearful, angry and distrustful as they are taken out of their home by a stranger and kept in a congregate or even new house atmosphere with strange people.
Family foster care is where the child is taken care of by the family members. Also, there is a probability that kids in foster care who don’t get enough therapy or even support might have a tough time to understand, absorb or even heal from their circumstances that might turn into emotional, physical or even mental issues that might last into adolescence.
Kids in foster care might have high mental health problems and might have bad long-term health issues. Several kids in foster care ask the necessary questions when they are put in a new house: Did I make any mistake? Why am I in foster care? My parents don’t love me anymore? How long do I have to stay in this foster care place?
Let us know a few of the common health problems kids come across when they stay in foster:
- Reactive attachment
- Anxiety disorder
- Depression
- Post-traumatic tension
- ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Oppositional defiant disorder
Challenges that children come across in the foster care program
Because of unforeseen scenarios, it might not always be possible for you to take care of your child. Foster care might have a negative effect on your child’s overall health. But, it is not that bad of an option. Bad childhood experiences might have a long-term impact and so it is difficult to address them as soon as possible. But, before you place your kid in foster care services, make sure you prepare them for the challenges that they might come across. If your kid is a newborn she or he might even forget who you are, when you take them back from foster care. Several kids are reunited with their birth parents and research demonstrates that foster kids who have been in foster care have high adaptive functioning.
Foster Care For Children
Let us discuss more about foster care organizations for children in more detail:
#1 State Foster Care
If you are planning to place your kid in state-run foster care, you should connect with child protective services or local social services agencies for more rules and details. It is also important to note that if you wish to get your kid back, you might have to go through challenges in doing so. So, you should understand that your kid is now a state award.
Eligibility criteria for state foster care
When you place your child in a foster care program, you might be asked to pay a portion of it, not all of the expenses related to caring for your kid. It means that they may offer certain advantages that you might not be able to supply for them and they might even lose these advantages if you take them back.
#2 Family Foster
Family foster is another program where you may keep your child. You may send your kid to their extended family members such as uncles, aunts and cousins.
Eligibility criteria for family foster
Few states may help you to temporarily keep your kid with family members with a written piece of paper letting them enrol your child in school, medical care or even child care. You should have important paperwork that might be acquired for a nominal charge.
How to apply for the family foster program
If you have to do so then you may contact your local courthouse and they will give you all the details on how to start the process in your state. Due to which, this is the best option for families in distress and you will be lucky enough if your relatives will take care of your child for a while.
#3 Safe Families For Children
It is one of the non-profit organizations that offers foster care help for kids in families who are going through a crisis that makes it tough for the parents to offer food and care for their kids.
Eligibility criteria for safe families for children
A compulsory background check will be done for families who are interested to participate in the program. It is necessary for you to know that the safe families for children are not under government control, but they function in the same way.
Program Duration
The usual time length of the program is about six weeks, as you may enrol your kid for as little as one day.
How to get the custody of child through safe families for children program?
The process to get child custody is simple. You must also keep in mind that if your kid is a victim of abuse then they will be ineligible for foster care and might have to go through the state foster care system. So, if you wish to focus on your career and still wish to be their parents then you must choose a safe families for children program.
Conclusion
In this post, we discussed Can I Put My Child In Temporary Foster Care? We all are aware that we have some dreams in life and we should fulfill them. Being a single mom, it is really tough if they have dreams to achieve something in life. And, it is not possible to do everything in one go. So, foster care is the better option for your child. Temporary foster care might also be the best option if you are a minor parent, drug addict or even minor parent but you should ensure that you know why and consider the proper method that fits you and your children.
Whatever you prefer, parenting is the toughest thing you may ever do. The difference between being a great parent or an irresponsible one is your ability to make the best decisions even if it is tough for you. There are non-profit organizations who come forward and help in the best possible way. The intention of these organizations is purely to take care of your child when you cannot take it.
FAQ
What Is Foster Care?
Foster care is a temporary arrangement in that trained caregivers that include relative caregivers or even kinship offer the care of a kid when single mothers cannot take care for them.
More than 77 percent of foster kids are placed with non-relative or relative caregivers, while the remaining are placed in institutions, group homes or even supervised independent living. All age group kids between 18-21 differ from state to state and can stay in foster care.
How Does The Foster Care System Work?
The foster care process is complicated and composed of a combination of state, local and federal organizations that work to protect their children and assist them to get adapted in the school or home atmosphere. The foster care program is not at all a single entity. CB or Children’s Bureau is responsible to carry out Family legislation within the administration for families and children (ACF) and the U.S department of human health and human services.
The main duty of children welfare services must be carried out by the states and counties, while the federal government is responsible to act as a supporting role. Federal government carries out legislation and funding responsibility.
How To Foster A Child?
If you wish to foster a child, agencies might expect you to offer supervision on a daily basis. Home should be free of safety hazards and must complete a protective or criminal check.
What are the rights of a child under foster care?
The district and state functionaries along with CWC or child welfare committee must make sure that the foster kid’s interest is upheld and a child’s consent should also be taken into account regarding foster care. Also, the child must have all the details related to their biological family.
What is the goal of foster care?
The ultimate goal of foster care is to make sure that children must have access to a stable life and lifelong families. Foster care is only a temporary solution that ends once a parent gets their life back on track. There is no doubt that a guardian or a relative should agree to raise the kid. Children must get a stable and unshakable attachment for their well-being and development so if single mothers cannot take care of their child, the best solution is temporary foster care.