Have you fostered kids?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure there's a huge need for fosters for babies and toddlers. Their own extended family members are more likely to take them in than older kids.

[Anonymous]

For those who want to foster but can’t for whatever reasons, have you considered being a CASA volunteer? Court appointed special advocate. You go through rather extensive training and then become the advocate for kid(s) going through the system. It’s really rewarding. If you’re in nova, look at scan of nova. They provide the training. I’ve met quite a few Casa volunteers who were former foster kids and either said they wished they had had someone like a casa volunteer or they had one and it helped immensely. There are some great social workers and some awful ones. This gives the child a voice

[Anonymous]

I am interested but never done it before. I am following this woman’s Insta: https://instagram.com/fosterthefamilyblog?utm_medium=copy_link

[Anonymous]

I would never do this as long as my own kids are living at home. Adopt a kid or don’t but I think it’s really weird to have a kid you parent and then give back like a car you don’t want anymore.

[Anonymous]

I work in an area with a very high adoption rate and the horror stories I’ve heard of foster families lead me to think there is something psychologically off about a lot of them.

[Anonymous]

I would not foster if I still had a bio child or adopted child at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never do this as long as my own kids are living at home. Adopt a kid or don’t but I think it’s really weird to have a kid you parent and then give back like a car you don’t want anymore.

So you think the foster system itself is "weird"?" What is your suggestion for an alternative?

The system is messed up in many ways. But temporarily taking in a child who has nowhere else to go then sending him back to his parents when it's safe does seem like buying a car at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never do this as long as my own kids are living at home. Adopt a kid or don’t but I think it’s really weird to have a kid you parent and then give back like a car you don’t want anymore.

It’s not that you don’t want the kid anymore, it’s that kids should be with their family of origin whenever possible.
You take care of them until their family is in a place to take them back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure there's a huge need for fosters for babies and toddlers. Their own extended family members are more likely to take them in than older kids.

Locally this is not true. Many foster parents are older/senior citizens that are not up for the task. Younger foster parents work and cannot take off 6 or 7 weeks to stay home with a new born. Many licensed foster homes do not take very young kids. I know this as I am a licensed parent that does.

[Anonymous]

PP here, also when bio families do take in their relatives, there are background checks etc etc that take time and a foster family is needed immediately in the interim. Could be a month, could be way more. Families are strapped and not prepared always to immediately take in a relative, especially one requiring daycare, medical appointments etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who want to foster but can’t for whatever reasons, have you considered being a CASA volunteer? Court appointed special advocate. You go through rather extensive training and then become the advocate for kid(s) going through the system. It’s really rewarding. If you’re in nova, look at scan of nova. They provide the training. I’ve met quite a few Casa volunteers who were former foster kids and either said they wished they had had someone like a casa volunteer or they had one and it helped immensely. There are some great social workers and some awful ones. This gives the child a voice

As a social worker, we'd avoid CASA's as they were usually more harmful than helpful. You had a mix of those who were heavily bias toward the foster parents and pushed adoption even when it wasn't appropriate to those pushing to reunify when it was not appropriate to those who just gave opinions and saw the kids once before a hearing. They are not the child's voice at all.