The Three R's: Responsibilities, Rights, Role
Many foster parent responsibilities will closely resemble those of
any parent providing day to day supervision and support in a stable and
loving home environment. And yet, foster parenting is different than
parenting your own child. The foster parent education provided prior to
approval is intended to give you a clear understanding of the role you
will assume and to provide you with some tools for dealing with this new
experience. Special workshops and seminars are also available for foster
parents on a regular basis.
As a foster parent, you are a vital member of the foster care team
in providing input for your foster child's case plan. The foster care team
consists of the court, the agency, the foster parents, the biological parents
and the Foster Care Review Board (FCRB). Foster parents have the right to
attend court hearings, review board hearings and family team meetings
concerning the permanency planning for the foster child. While foster parents
must cooperate with the agency's plan for parental visitation, the agency
respects your privacy and will not release your name, address, or telephone
number without your permission. However, developing a relationship with the
birth family is encouraged.
Foster parents, of course, will decide what race, sex and age range
of children they can best provide care for, as well as what types of problems
or handicaps they can or cannot deal with. Foster parents also have the right
to accept or reject any child offered for placement. If you are unsure of
whether you can care for a particular child, you may also request a pre-placement
visit to give you an opportunity to get to know the child before he or she is
placed in your home. Sometimes, even with the most careful preparation, you
may find that you will need to request the removal of a foster child from your
home. It is important not to be overly harsh with either yourself or the child,
and to work closely with the agency to insure a smooth transition from your home
to another placement.
Agency workers recommend that foster parents become familiar with
support groups in their area because often times your friends and neighbors are
not in a position to understand the difficulties you may encounter in this new
role. Some of these include the National Foster Parent Association, National
Action for Foster Children, the Maryland League of Foster Parents Inc., and
several local county/city organizations. In addition, some of the agencies
regularly hold workshops and neighborhood groups for foster parents to become
acquainted with each other, and to provide a forum for sharing experiences.
Maryland regulations state, however, that any specific information that a foster
parent has about a foster child, or that child's birth family is to be kept
confidential and cannot be shared with anyone.
A foster home worker visits each foster home regularly to assist in
obtaining and/or providing needed services. Most of the agencies also provide a
24-hour emergency phone number for the use of foster parents. Each agency places
tremendous importance on being accessible to foster parents to provide the support
that they often need.
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