Question: I’ve heard that our community needs more foster parents. What do they do, and why they are needed?
Answer: At some point in our lives, we all need a little help. Foster parents fulfill this role by caring for children who have been removed from their homes because their families are unable to keep them safe. They provide a nurturing environment for children until they can safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, be adopted by loving families, or successfully transition to adulthood. In some cases, foster parents adopt the children they have fostered.
In return, foster parents receive reimbursement to cover the costs of providing food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. But make no mistake about it …it takes a special heart to be a foster parent. Aid payments do not necessarily cover all of the expenses of caring for a foster child, especially “little extras” like summer camp, school photos or after-school sports. The greatest reward comes from knowing that you are making a difference in the life of a child.
The foster care system has been in place for decades. The culture of foster care, however, has changed enormously. In Sacramento and other counties using the Family to Family model, foster families are known as “resource families” because of how they help children find permanent homes and how they act as resources for the birth family. Today, foster parents/resource families serve as mentors, role models and advocates, often forming lifelong connections to the children whom they foster.
Older foster youth are especially in need of this kind of attention. Nearly half of the 3800 children in foster care in Sacramento County are older than 10. Each year, about 300 of these youths turn 18 and are no longer eligible for aid, a process known as “aging out” of foster care. Most leave the system without the kind of resources and connections they need to live as healthy, self-supporting adults. Having a permanent, lifelong connection with a caring adult makes the difference.
Another culture change is the increasing emphasis on placing children with relatives or extended family members (neighbors, family friends, etc.) who act as foster parents. Children placed with relatives tend to have better outcomes. They are less likely to move from home to home and more likely to remain in the same neighborhoods and school districts.
If you’d like information about being a foster parent, call the Sacramento County Foster Licensing Department at 916-875-5543 (875-5KID).