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1. What do foster parents do?

Foster Parents..
* Protect and nurture children
* Connect children to safe, nurturing relationships.
* Meet children's individual, educational, medical and developmental needs.
* Support children's relationships with their birth families.
* Work as members of a professional team.
Foster parenting requires a strong commitment and a lot of hard work. Children who are suddenly uprooted from their homes are often upset and need extra understanding and patience. Your role as a foster parent is to provide stability and a loving and safe environment for each child in your care.

2. How long does it take to become a foster parent?

It takes about three to six months from the time your completed application is submitted to finish the licensing and training process. After training and receiving your foster parent license, children can be placed in your home. Although the type of families needed differs in every geographical setting, the more flexible you are about the type of child you're able and willing to care for, the sooner a child can be matched to your home.

3. Do I have to own my own home? What if I'm a renter?

You do not need to be a homeowner to become a foster parent. Renting is fine. We are more concerned with finding a stable living arrangement with adequate space.

4. What if I'm a single parent? Can I still be a foster parent?

Yes! Single parents can give a great deal and provide high quality care to children; however, more emphasis and planning may need to be invested into solidifying a child care plan, including after school care and daycare for school vacations and holidays.

5. What is the difference between being a certified home with an agency or a licensed foster family home?

An agency is a private, non-profit, state licensed corporation that is licensed by the State of California to certify foster family homes under its state foster agency license to provide safe and loving foster homes for abused, abandoned and/or neglected children. The agency provides educational training for foster parents, social work support, and acts as the liaison between the foster parents, birth parents, and county social workers. Agencies provide support 24 hours a day.

A foster family licensed through Mariposa County interacts directly with the county social worker. The foster family home provides the same safe and loving foster homes for abused, abandoned and/or neglected children. Mariposa County provides the educational training for foster parents, social work support and works directly with the foster parents, birth parents and the dependent child or children. The Department provides support 24 hours a day.

6. What kind of support do foster parents receive once a child is placed with them?

A social worker will make scheduled monthly visits to each foster family. The purpose of these visits will be to discuss how the foster family and the foster child are functioning, to discuss short and long-term plans, and to work on any problem areas involving the child and the foster family. The social worker serves as a resource for the child and the foster parents.

7. Do the natural parents remain involved with their child in placement?

The social worker is the link between the foster child and his/her own natural parents. The social worker will be involved in helping the parents to work toward the return of the child to their home, or in some instances, toward a permanent placement away from the natural family. When visits between the child and his/her natural family are desirable, the social worker arranges these visits with the foster parents.

8. What types of foster families are needed most?

Foster families are greatly needed in Mariposa County......period!

Foster families who are willing and able to parent the following situations are in particular need:

* Infants to 18 years of age
* Teenage mothers and their babies
* Children with special medical, developmental and/or behavioral needs
* Brothers and sisters who need to stay together
* Babies born with HIV infection or with methamphetamine, cocaine, or alcohol in their systems

9. What support services will I receive as a foster parent?

Personal Support - Mariposa County has developed services that include foster parent support groups, ongoing training, newsletters, after-hours telephone numbers, a foster parent website and community resources.

Training - You will receive training before being licensed. Training continues while children are placed in your home. Sometimes you will receive additional training to care for children with special needs.

Financial Support - Foster parents receive a monthly payment to cover the child's food, shelter and clothing. The amount of the payment is based on the child's age and any special needs. Mariposa County also provides referrals to partner agencies, such as Infant Children's Enrichment Services (ICES) to help foster parents with daycare services provided by licensed childcare providers; Little Acorn coop childcare; and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) for nutritional support.

Medical, Dental and Counseling Support - Each foster child receives a medical card that pays for necessary medical care and prescriptions, counseling and dental services.

10. How many children can share a room? Can a boy and girl share the same room? As a parent, can I share my room with a child?

California State licensing regulations state that only two children can share a bedroom, regardless of the size of the room. A boy and girl may share a room as long as both children are under the age of 5. As a parent, you can share your room with an infant, age 0 to 2.