Hear from foster parents, a former foster child and a former foster child now parent on what it means to be a foster parent. (3+ min)
Thank You for your interest in helping a child in need
“(My foster parents) did a lot to help me become who I am.”
“You’re able to step in and be ‘that person’ for that child that they don’t have at that time. You’re able to just come in and be that superman or superwoman.”
“There’s no greater reward, but there’s no greater challenge than being a foster parent. I’m so glad I picked Choices. They have been so helpful. It’s just been a pleasure to work with all the people at Choices.”
Top 10 Common Myths About Foster Care Debunked
Myth: Foster parents need to be a married, heterosexual couple.
Foster parents can be married, unmarried, single, LGBTQ+, any race, any ethnicity.
Myth: Foster parents need to own their own home.
There is no requirement that a foster family own their own home. Rental properties are fine.
Myth: Foster parents need to make a lot of money to be able to take care of foster children.
Foster parents must be able to demonstrate an ability to meet their family’s needs without the foster care per diem. Foster parents are given reimbursement in the form of a per diem for each foster child in their home. The per diem is solely for the benefit of the child and covers the cost of their basic needs for food, clothing, etc.
Myth: Foster parents need to have a large home with many bedrooms.
The state requires only that each child have 50 square of space for themselves. A typical 10 x 10 bedroom can fit two children, biological or foster.
Myth: Foster parents need to have parenting experience.
Foster parents have a variety of life and parenting experiences. Some have previous parenting experience, but many others do not. It’s not required that a foster parent have previous parenting experience. As part of the licensing process, individuals go through several training courses which are designed to improve their ability to parent, or educate them on parenting, especially parenting youth who have experienced trauma, like the children coming from the Department of Child Services.
Myth: Children in foster care have experienced trauma beyond repair.
Numerous former foster youths have attended college or vocational schools, have careers, and are leading healthy and fulfilling lives.
Myth: Foster parents are expected to provide medical insurance for foster children.
Numerous former foster youths have attended college or vocational schools, have careers, and are leading healthy and fulfilling livesFoster parents are not expected to provide medical insurance to youth that come into their care for medical treatment or dental care. Every child who comes into care through the Indiana Department of Child Services is automatically covered by Medicaid.
Myth: Foster parents are on their own to foster children.
Becoming licensed with Choices Foster Care Solutions, you have advocates and partners throughout the entire process. We assist you every step of the way in getting licensed. Once you become licensed and have children placed in your home, you have a foster care coordinator who is assigned to you who is there to advocate for you and for the foster youth in your home. In addition, we have a 24/7 hotline so you always have access to someone from Choices staff to answer questions and concerns that might come up outside of regular business hours.
Myth: Foster parents have no say in who they foster.
In the licensing process, we talk to individuals about what types of children they would like to see in their home or that they would feel most comfortable parenting. Foster parents have a lot of freedom in requesting the gender, age range and background of the children who come into their home.
Myth: The licensing process is too tedious and hard to understand.
The licensing process is very involved. It includes five general steps:
- Background checks
- A check of the physical environment
- Training
- Documentation to complete and read
- Home study
While it is a lot, Choices Foster Care Solutions walks individuals through every step of the licensing process. There’s no requirement to complete the licensing process quickly and prospective parents can put the process on hold if life circumstances change.