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About Family to Family:
Family to Family is a foster care concept with a family-centered perspective.
It provides a new approach to the issues surrounding children
in foster care and their families.
Basic Requirements to Become a Foster Parent:
Foster parents may be single or married, and may have children
of their own. To become a foster family, you must...
- Have stable,nurturing family relationships
- Have respect for and interest in caring for children and families
- Be 21 years old or older
- Live in your own apartment or house, free from health or safety hazards
- Be in good physical and mental health
- Be able to meet your family’s financial obligations without the foster care stipend
- Pass a Health Department and Fire Marshal inspection
- Complete a satisfactory criminal background check
- Have a working telephone and readily available transportation
- Meet pre-service training requirements
- Participate in a Home Study
Responsibilities of the foster family:
A foster family...
- Acts as a temporary, substitute family for a child in need
- Models positive parenting for biological families
- Acts as a mentor for the biological family
- Provides non-physical discipline
- Participates in the foster child’s education, court processes, and review board meetings
- Helps children grow and mature
- Provides transportation to appointments
- Attends further training
Support for foster families:
Foster parents’ efforts are supported by:
- Ongoing training
- Social work support and guidance
- Non-taxable monthly stipend for expenses
- Medical coverage for the foster child
- Foster parent liability insurance
- Day care assistance may be available for some foster children
Benefits to the child.
Foster families work closely with the
child’s biological family. Children are placed in or near
their own neighborhood and have contact with their birth parents
while in foster care. This makes the experience less traumatic,
and the reunification less stressful. Everyone benefits.
Benefits to the birth parents.
Because the birth parents meet and interact frequently with the
foster parents, they see the foster parents as advocates and
role models. Birth parents stay more involved in their child’s
life and continue to parent while their child is in care. Being
familiar with the foster family reduces stress and helps the
birth parents focus on recovery.
Benefits to the foster parents.
The relationship between birth parents and foster
parents reinforces the goal of reuniting the child and his birth
family. Family to Family promotes ongoing relationships between
the two families. And foster parents often find the expanded
role as family mentor and counselor very satisfying.
Role of the foster care worker.
The caseworker helps develop a relationship between
the birth family and the foster family. The worker provides a
setting for both families to meet and talk openly, and encourages
continued suport after the child returns home.
Role of the community.
The community’s responsibility is to participate in the
recruitment and support of neighborhood-based foster care for
children. The community can sponsor any of a wide range of beneficial
services for birth families and foster families, which may include
GED classes, family counseling, parent support groups, teen activities
and more...
Call today: In Calvert County, call 443-550-6969.
In Charles County, call 301-392-6727. In St. Mary's County, call
240-895-7000.
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