Fostering a child is not a simple process. If you are planning to foster a child, at Courage Community Foster Care, we can help you with this process. We are a private child placement agency licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services. In this article, we will discuss with you eight questions to ask before fostering a child. Keep reading below to find out more information.
What are the eight questions to ask before fostering a child?
1. How long has she/he been in foster care?
It is necessary to ask this question so you will know if the child has been in care for a long time or if he or she is a new case placement. You can ask if you can attend court hearings or doctor appointments. Make sure to coordinate with the agency so you can get more necessary information.
2. What is the reason he/she came into foster care?
You may not ask specific details or reasons why a child has been placed in foster care, but at least you can have a general idea. There are times a newborn child, young child or teenager is placed on foster care because of abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
3. What is the child’s medical history?
You must ask this question to know if he or she has any allergies or medical conditions. You have to be mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared to care for a child that has special needs.
You can also ask if the child is taking any medications. You must have enough supply of medication and you can get any required forms etc. to be able to get the medicine for him/her.
4. Why was he or she removed from her previous placement?
Sometimes foster placements do not work out. You can ask if some specific behaviors or needs caused the change in the child’s placement. This can help you prepare and plan accordingly.
5. Is the child going to a school or daycare?
You must also consider the child’s education needs. It is also important so you can consider if he or she can continue going to that specific school. The fewer drastic changes a child experiences, the better it is for his or her life.
6. What is the child’s permanency plan? Does he or she have one?
If the plan is to reunite him or her with the biological family, will you be willing to support the family as they work on regaining the custody of the child? If the plan is adoption, can you consider yourself as an adoptive resource for him or her? You must keep in mind that plans are always changing and it is something that you must consider before fostering a child.
7. Does the child have a plan of visitation with his/her family?
You must consider if you can commit to the time requirements as well as transport. Supervision may be necessary, depending on the child’s situation. You must also ask if the child has siblings in foster care especially when the visits need to be arranged accordingly.
8. What are the other important things that need to be learned about the child’s case?
You must coordinate with the agency or the social worker in charge of the child’s case and let them know that you are open to know everything you need to know about the child’s case.
Here at Courage Community Foster Care, we are currently serving more than 20 foster families and 35 children from newborns to 15-year-old teens. We help certify families interested to foster and adopt children in the Denver metro area, Eagle, Lake, and Summit counties, as well as El Paso County and its surrounding areas.
Our founder and executive director, Kerri Hankin has more than 25 years’ experience working in the field of child welfare. If you want to check the testimonials of our foster families, click here.
You can also check our gallery for photos of our adoptions; we cannot post images of children in foster care. Fill-up the contact form so you can get in touch with us. We also help facilitate the process if our foster family decides to adopt a child.
Are you considering fostering a child? If yes, make sure to check out Courage Community Foster Care. We are based in Colorado, USA. We help facilitate foster care for children who cannot live with their biological families because of various reasons such as neglect, abandonment, and abuse.
If you have any questions or inquiries regarding our company or the services that we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us at 719-321-4319 or send us an email at kerrih@fostercourage.com.
Our mailing address is P.O Box 262 Cascade, CO 80809. We always receive daily referrals of 5 to 20 children in need of placement; please help us make a difference to a child’s life. We will be with you and support you throughout the process. Get in touch with us today so we can start helping you with the process of fostering a child.
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