When it is discovered that a child’s parent cannot take care of the child, for whatever reason, protective services take the child away. The child is then placed into foster care until it is decided whether or not the problems at home can be solved.
When a child is placed in foster care, he or she will be living with a foster family. This is a family that has shown they are capable of taking care of a child and is willing to except someone else’s child into their home.
Being a foster parent requires a lot of heart and compassion. You will be taking care of and making a difference in a child’s life. You will be helping him or her get through an extremely tough time in his or her life. If everything goes well, he or she will be able to return home.
The basic requirements for being a foster parent are:
- Be over the age of 25.
- Pass a criminal background check.
- Have a regular source of income to handle monthly expenses.
- Have at least one available bedroom.
- Have a car, car insurance, and a clean DMV report.
- Have some flexibility in your schedule.
- Pass a state required Home Safety Check.
If you meet these requirements and wish to better a child’s life, consider becoming a foster parent. By doing so, you can make a difference in a child’s life by helping him or her through a tough time. Just remember, the main goal of foster care is to better the life of the child, and that can often mean trying to make it possible for him or her to return to his or her birth parents.