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What is
foster care?
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What ages of foster children need care the
most?
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Why are children in foster care?
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Who pays for the medical or other
expenses of the child?
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What about expenses such as clothing,
food, and shelter for foster children?
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Will I have all the information I
need about a child before they come to my home?
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I work outside of the home, is that
a problem?
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Are children in foster care waiting to be
adopted?
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Will we receive training to assist us
in dealing with the challenges of being a foster parent?
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At what age can I become a foster
parent?
1.
What is foster care?
It is
temporary care, supervision, and maintenance of a child
placed in a home or foster care facility licensed by Dodge
County or a private child welfare agency.
(back to top)
2. What ages of foster children need
care the most?
The answer
is that children of all ages can require foster care.
What is more
important is what age ranges, genders, and situations you
feel most comfortable with in your home.
We look for
foster families who come in any size and shape imaginable.
Dodge County is always actively recruiting foster families
as it is helpful to have a pool of resources to choose from
when matching a child to a foster home. In many cases, it
is beneficial if we can keep the children within the same
school district if applicable and near their biological
family. (back to top)
3. Why are children in foster care?
Foster care
is needed when children cannot remain with biological
families for a variety of reasons. These include: physical,
sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, medical or physical
disability of the child, or the biological parent’s
emotional or physical needs prevent the parents from
parenting their children. (back to top)
4. Who pays for the medical or other
expenses of the child?
The Agency
reimburses foster parents for monthly expenses related to
room, board, and other items. If the child has emotional,
behavioral, or physical needs, foster parents will also
receive an additional supplemental and/or exceptional
payment.
Foster
children’s medical expenses are covered through their
parent’s medical insurance or through Title Nineteen
(Medical Assistance). In addition, foster parents can also
apply for day care funding if both foster parents work
outside of the home. (back to top)
5.
What about expenses such as clothing, food,
and shelter for foster children?
Again, each
foster family will receive a monthly stipend that is
determined by the age and special needs of the child placed
in the foster home. (back to top)
6. Will I have all the information I
need about a child before they come to my home?
The Agency
will share with you any and all information that we have
available to us on the child and their family situation.
You can then determine whether or not you are comfortable
accepting them into your household. In turn, foster parents
must maintain a high degree of confidentiality and not share
this information with people outside of their home.
(back to top)
7. I work outside of the home, is that
a problem?
No. In many
instances child care funding is available for foster parents
when they are employed outside of the home. If child care
is necessary, the only requirement is that child care be
performed by a licensed or certified day care provider.
(back to top)
8. Are children in foster care waiting to be
adopted?
Most
children placed in foster care need temporary placement
until they can return back to their biological
family/guardians. There is no expectation that foster
parents will adopt children placed with them, although some
children are eventually adopted by their foster parents.
However, the expectation of foster parents is that you will
work towards family reunification up until the time that the
parental rights of the parents are terminated.
(back to top)
9. Will we receive training to assist
us in dealing with the challenges of being a foster parent?
Yes, foster
parenting is a very difficult job. As a result, a training
program has been developed to assist foster parents in
caring for someone else’s child. Each foster parent is
required to complete a 30 hour orientation program within
the first year of licensure. However, exceptions can be
made to allow one parent an additional year to complete the
training. In addition, foster parents are required to
complete 8 hours of ongoing training each year. This
training may be obtained through many different
methodologies. Foster parents may be able to obtain most if
not all of their ongoing training without leaving their
home. (back to top)
10. At what age can I become a foster parent?
Foster
parents must be at least 21 years of age and all caregivers
in the household must be licensed. In two parent
households, it is required that both parents become
licensed.
Do you have
more information or you would like to apply: Please call
920-386-3634 and talk to the Foster Care Coordinator, Jim
Wiersma for additional information.
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