Frequently Asked Questions

Foster care is the temporary placement of children and youth with families outside of their own home due to abuse, neglect or other circumstances. The goal of foster care is to provide all children with a safe, stable, nurturing environment during a time of crisis until they can be reunified with their parents or extended family.

A foster parent is a trained and licensed adult who cares for children in the foster care system in their own homes. This provides children a safe and nurturing environment until a permanency plan can be achieved, such as reunification with their biological families or adoption.

Foster parents are asked to complete an application, attend training and submit to a home study before being licensed and allowed to have foster children in their homes.

Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care (STFC) provides a necessary alternative to residential treatment facilities for children who typically need more intensive support and professional interventions than those in “Traditional” foster care settings. These children, who range in age from 5 to 17, may have experienced trauma and often have behaviors that necessitate the need for increased structure, supervision, and additional parent support.

Families First offers therapy, case management, specialized training, ongoing support, and financial reimbursement to ensure foster parents can provide the best care possible for children. Each family we serve is assigned an In-Home Clinician who will visit the foster family at a minimum of weekly and provide a community contact on at least a monthly basis. In addition, the In-Home Clinician provides training and 24-hour support and intervention services for therapeutic foster parents.

1. Contact us to sign up for a free Foster Parent Information Night that will explain what is needed to become a foster parent and answer your questions.
2. Get trained at no cost to you. You will learn about children in foster care and the trauma they are going through. You will also learn about working successfully with biological parents, different childhood developmental stages and behaviors, and much more.
3. Get licensed to ensure that you, your family and your home are prepared and safe.
4. Begin being a foster parent and providing a child with a second chance!

You must have adequate income to meet your own family’s needs before being a foster parent. During the home study process, you will be asked to show proof of income and financial stability. You may live in a home or apartment that you either rent or own.

Foster parents are given monthly stipends called “board checks” for the care they provide. However, the money you will receive is not income. These stipends are to help you meet the daily needs of your foster children for their food, clothing, shelter and incidental expenses. Board rates are determined by the child’s age or level of care, and function as a reimbursement. They will not cover all the expenses incurred by foster parents. The child’s health and dental needs are covered by Medicaid.

Being a foster parent can be demanding, so you must be healthy and emotionally stable. You will be asked to complete a physical exam and possibly a tuberculosis (TB) test, or provide medical clearance to help establish that you are healthy enough to take on the responsibility of fostering.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, but there are no restrictions as to ethnicity, marital status, or sexual orientation.

You must have enough bedroom space for each foster child placed in your home. They must have a bed of their own and cannot share a bed nor sleep on a cot or trundle bed. A foster child may not share a bedroom with the foster parent unless they are under the age of one and sleep in a crib. An adult cannot move out of their bedroom and sleep on the couch to make room.

In many cases a foster child can share a bedroom with your child or another foster child of the same gender.

It is important that children live in a safe and clean environment. During the home study process, a health inspection will be conducted in your home to ensure your home is free of potential dangers and risks. You must have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, and if you have pets they must be current with vaccinations and not present a danger to children in your home.

A home study, also known as a home assessment, is a process that results in a document about you, your family, strengths, characteristics and challenges. A home study begins with an interview of you and your family at your home. Your Licensing Specialist will also ask for additional information, such as background screenings and references. The home study process concludes with a written report that your Licensing Specialist creates about you and your family.

Thorough background screenings are conducted on all prospective foster families, including abuse registry, driving record and local and federal criminal clearances (fingerprinting). Background screenings and child abuse clearances are required for all household members at no charge to the applicants.

Yes, as part of the application and home study you will identify the age range and sex of children that you believe would be most comfortable with your family.

Therapeutic Foster Care is considered a mental health treatment program and the child’s length of stay is established by the child’s treatment goals. The length of time that a child stays in a foster home can also vary according to their permanency plans. Children may be in foster care for a few days, a few months, or even longer depending on the situation. It is important that foster parents are patient and flexible, as situations change on a regular basis.

The goal for a child placed in the foster care system is to achieve safety and permanency as soon as possible, which often includes family reunification. Foster parents are critical members of that team because they can provide unique insights into the child and his or her well-being.

As a foster parent, you will be trained to work in partnership with system staff to assist the biological parents in improving their ability to protect their children. You will also learn how to best respect the child’s ties to his or her biological family and assist the child in visitation and other forms of communication with the family.

Foster parents do everything a biological parent is expected to do and more, which is outlined below:

• Maintain confidentiality regarding the foster child and their family.
• Arrange and take child to medical and dental appointments.
• Register the child in school and participate in school meetings and events.
• Register a child for extracurricular activities, encourage their strengths and provide opportunities for interests and skills.
• Inform the child's caseworker of events occurring with the child.
• Participate as a team member with agency staff, including attending court hearings.
• When appropriate and safe, assist the child in visitation and other forms of contact with the biological family.
• Respect the child's religion, culture, and ethnicity.

Families First offers therapy, case management, specialized training, ongoing support, and financial reimbursement to ensure foster parents can provide the best care possible for children. Each family we serve is assigned an In-Home Clinician who will visit the foster family at a minimum of weekly and provide a community contact on at least a monthly basis. In addition, the In-Home Clinician provides training and 24-hour support and intervention services for therapeutic foster parents.

Each child is also assigned a case manager through Eckerd who is responsible for providing support to each family. Furthermore, each foster family is assigned a licensing specialist or program manager to support them in navigating the system of care. The agency can also connect you to additional support, such as other foster parents who can serve as mentors, social services, charities, and foster parent associations.

Yes, however; if the foster child requires day care, the foster parent often is responsible for at least part of that expense. Ask about day care options and voucher programs during your foster parent training.

Foster parents receive a reimbursement called a Board Rate which is intended to assist in covering the cost of food and clothing. A clothing voucher is also provided at the beginning of each school year.

Eckerd Connects' Raising Hope program is also available to foster families in many of the areas we serve. Their Rooms of Hope can provide children entering foster care with clothing, toiletries, shoes and school supplies including school uniforms.

Foster children receive Medicaid cards which cover medical, dental, and counseling services.

The timing of placements depends on the situation of the foster children in the foster system. We match children to available homes based on the child’s needs, your preferences and the criteria of the placing agency. Placements may be made within a couple days of being licensed or it can take up to several months. New foster parents are often eased into fostering by at first providing respite or temporary care for foster children.

Therapeutic foster homes are capped at two (2) foster children. Sibling groups are the exception to this rule and may be placed together in the same foster home.

Foster parents are asked to try to maintain the child in their school of origin when possible or until a suitable break in the school year allows for a smooth transition.

Yes, you are encouraged to take foster children on vacation with you in order to promote normal, happy childhood experiences. If you are crossing state lines, court permission is required. The child’s caseworker should always be notified of the child’s location in advance.

Our goal is to reunify children with their families, however in the event that the child cannot return home or be placed with other relatives, foster parents can be considered potential adoptive parents.