anyone ever been a foster parent?

[mr_dove]

My wife and I had thought about applying to foster kids here in Colorado. Has anyone ever done this? Can you comment on the process or your experience? My wife works in the court system in Colorado and she sees alot of troubled children come through the court and she has alot of sympathy for them.

[cstone]

My wife and I were licensed foster parents in Maryland. We have friends who have foster children in Colorado. It is a worthy effort, but one that requires much patience and very thick skin.

It is good to care for children who need a family. The advice I would give you is not to lose your family while trying to save another family.

Like everything, good intentions will only take you so far.

Be safe.

[Flatline]

I used to have a foster sibling. She tried to burn down the house, and did manage to successfully burned a mattress and bed frame. At the time my dad was a social worker and my mom was a pediatric RN, but even they couldn't manage her (though to be fair, her case history was VERY extensive). She stayed for less than a year.

Some kids in the system just need a stable home, but some have more problems than you or anyone else could ever fix.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Skully]

Cstone is so right..............

Did it for 8 years, mostly older, mental health and developmental delayed children/teens. We took on those kids as both wife and I have extensive training in that area with was also are main day jobs.

We just got out of it end of summer last year. It takes a lot of your time, and then more time. Can be very overwhelming to anyone if you do not have the right mindset going in to it. (BTW you cant take them shooting, against state rules.)

If you have your own kids, specially toddlers. It can be rough, why we got out as it was just too much, starting to wear on our sanity and the rest of our family. Remember foster kids need a lot of EXTRA attention, that is typically why they are in foster care, they have trust issues, attachment issues. Specially those that have been in the foster system for a long time. So if you battle with your own kids taking on a foster kid can cause unwanted consequences on all sides.

I am also a case manager for Adams county adult services, I can point you to some right directions. You have to go through an agency to be trained and approved, lengthy process. PM me if your interested and I can point you to some agencies where you can check out to ask further questions.

[ChadAmberg]

Lets see if I remember right... you apply, talk to folks, go to classes for 8 weeks I think? Meet with a psychiatrist a few times, get recommendations, get 3 other families fingerprinted to be "official babysitters" for you, stuff like that.

Be brutally honest on what types of kids you're willing to take though. They'll all have problems, but don't be afraid to tell them up front what problems you can handle and what you can't.