Frequently Asked Questions
On behalf of all the children and families who receive care from the child welfare system in Missouri, we are grateful that you are taking the time to learn more about becoming a foster parent.
What are the steps that I need to take in order to become a foster parent?
- The first step to becoming a foster parent is to contact a MACF, a treatment foster care licensing agency.
- The foster care licensing worker will answer questions and provide further information.
- You and your family will need to fill out an extensive application form.
- The licensing agencies offer foster care orientations and pre-service trainings. Prospective foster parents participate in an in-depth licensing study involving interviews of all household members.
Some qualifications you should have include:
- You are nurturing and have a good sense of humor.
- You have a desire to learn more and don't mind attending trainings.
- You are open-minded regarding children in foster care and their families.
- You can tolerate (or even like!) paperwork
- You don't mind having many outside people involved in your life, and you like being part of a team.
- You like kids.
- You keep commitments.
- You're flexible.
- You are empathetic about the grief children and families go through when they've been separated.
- You like parenting, even through the ups and downs of the "terrible" twos and the equally "terrible" teens.
- You recognize your stress and manage it.
- Your family is as committed to fostering as you are.
- You're involved in the community and have good community support.
- You are able to keep information about the children confidential.
What is a home study?
- The home study is a process in which prospective foster parents complete an application and participate in a series of personal interviews in their home.
- Prospective foster parents are assigned to a licensing worker from their licensing agency.
- As part of the home study, the licensing workers complete thorough criminal background checks and reference checks.
- The licensing workers inspect residences to insure that they satisfy the State’s requirements to meet the needs of children in foster care.
- The licensing worker gathers information about the applicants’ parenting skills and abilities.
- The workers discuss the reasons applicants are interested in fostering and assesses how fostering may potentially impact them and their family members.
- The home study insures that homes are in compliance with the agency’s licensing requirements.
- The process of the home study provides an opportunity for prospective foster parents to ask questions and discuss concerns.
What is the purpose of a criminal background check?
Criminal background checks are required to ensure that potential foster homes are safe, and that no persons living in foster homes have criminal histories that will affect a child in the home. It's possible for people with felonies and misdemeanors to become licensed as foster parents, depending on what the crime was and how long ago it happened. There are some crimes—based on the federal law—that prevent some people from ever becoming foster parents. Prospective foster parents and any child over the age of 17 that resides in the home must agree to undergo a criminal background check in order to become licensed.
What if I work full time?
It's possible to work full time, depending on your licensing agency. In order to do so, you need to have a good supervision plan for the kids in your care.
Can Ichoose the gender, race, and age of children I would like to foster?
During the licensing process, workers ask about the age, race, gender and special needs of children which prospective foster parents are interested in fostering. Prior to a child being placed in your home, a worker from the agency calls to describe the child or children needing a foster home.
Making a good match between the prospective child and the prospective family is a crucial part of success for you, the child, and everyone involved. When you first start out fostering, it's sometimes difficult to know what kind of child might be a good fit for you and your family. It helps to keep a list of questions you might want to ask the worker. Foster parents always have the option of declining a foster care placement.
How much contact will I have with the child's family?
This varies greatly with each case. The foster care system, however, is designed to be a temporary solution until children can reunite with their family or if that's not possible, until there's a permanent home found for the child. To this end, it's important to have as much contact with the child's family and extended family as possible.
Do children in care need their own bedroom?
No, children in care can share a bedroom with other children, as long as the gender, ages and behaviors are appropriate. Each child in the home needs to have his or her own personal space.
How often do I need to be relicensed?
Foster home licenses are issued for time periods up to two years. Before the end of the two year period, licensing workers return to homes to work with foster parents who must complete the required paper work for re-licensing.
What are the responsibilities of a foster parent?
- Provide nurturing, limits, and have children participate in routine family life.
- Provide day-to-day care and supervision of children.
- Arrange and take children to medical, dental, psychiatric appointments.
- Support a family interaction plan for the children and their birth/natural families.
- Communicate with school and keep abreast of child’s progress.
How are foster parents compensated for the care of the child?
Rates of compensation are based upon the needs of children. Payments to foster parents are considered reimbursements for expenses to meet the needs of the children and are not considered income in most instances.
What are the ages of children who are in need of care?
Children in need of foster care placements in Missouri are between the ages of 0-21
.
How long are children in foster care?
Children may be in foster care for one day or longer. The goal of foster care is to provide safe and nurturing homes for children while support and assistance is given to parents to make their homes safe places to which the children can return.
The goal of the child welfare system is to provide safe and permanent homes for all children. While most children find that with their birth families, others are placed in adoptive, kinship, or guardianship homes.
Most children who are placed in foster care are successfully reunited with their families.
What type of health care coverage is provided to children in care?
All foster children are eligible for Medical Assistance. This covers medical, mental health, prescription, and drug care expenses as well as dental care.
What are the goals of foster care?
- Protect the child from further abuse or neglect.
- Provide a safe and nurturing home.
- Provide consistent care and supervision that meets the child’s needs.
- Help the family make positive changes to work toward reunification.
Who are the children placed in foster care?
The children in the child welfare system are as varied as children everywhere. As a society, these are our children. They are all ages, all economic levels, all races, religions and colors. Some children have some significant emotional, behavioral, and/or physically developmental needs. All children who are placed in foster care also have significant strengths and gifts. All of us have a part to play in helping to focus on these strengths, even when we're sometimes frustrated or confused by some children's behaviors