Foster parenting & homeschooling...

[jewellsmommy]

Is there anyone here, especially from VA, who fosters and homeschools? How hard is it to get permission to homeschool a child that you are fostering? Is it even a good idea to do so? Is it better that they stay in a public school if that is what they are used to? Any perspective and experience you can share would be helpful.

 

 

ETA: What sort of checks are associated with fostering? I know a background check, but is there a minimum credit score or any such thing? How long does the whole process take from beginning to end? How much does it cost?

Edited October 24, 2010 by jewellsmommy

[Julie in Austin]

Is there anyone here, especially from VA, who fosters and homeschools? How hard is it to get permission to homeschool a child that you are fostering? Is it even a good idea to do so? Is it better that they stay in a public school if that is what they are used to? Any perspective and experience you can share would be helpful.

 

It is generally not legal to homeschool a foster child.

 

 

ETA: What sort of checks are associated with fostering? I know a background check, but is there a minimum credit score or any such thing?

 

It will depend on your state but we needed background checks from every state we had lived in as adults. No credit score.

How long does the whole process take from beginning to end?

 

For us, about 3 months.

 

How much does it cost?

 

I think about $400 for us--lots of credit checks and a fancy fire extinguisher and a fire inspection and a few misc. things.

.

[Dobela]

My response in color :)

Is there anyone here, especially from VA, who fosters and homeschools? not from VA but a former foster parent here.

 

How hard is it to get permission to homeschool a child that you are fostering? Is it even a good idea to do so? Is it better that they stay in a public school if that is what they are used to? Any perspective and experience you can share would be helpful. A child in foster care can/will come with many issues. Sometimes public school is the only constant they have had. Sometimes their behaviors and needs are really intense and draining on the foster family. If the child has serious emotional needs, the school can provide counseling. The school can also provide support for you and the time they are gone during the day can be a real break. If they are homeschooled they will lose even more friends and connections. I found that even with preschoolers attending school out of the home was sometimes the very best thing for that child. Especially since the goal is to return the child to the parents, those public school connections can be vital for the child in the future and you don't want to break them. Some children will also be in your home for a few weeks. The process to homeschool and prep then back to school can be very time consumming and difficult. It is hard though. If there has been abuse and neglect, the kids are often behind in school work as well and school can add to frustrations.

 

However, if you have the opportunity to adopt the child, most homeschooling families I know will ask for permission to homeschool as soon as they are recognized as officially adopting the child. Homeschooling will help with bonding and move the child into the family culture even more. Usually it is at this point that homeschooling is approved for the child.

 

 

ETA: What sort of checks are associated with fostering? I know a background check, but is there a minimum credit score or any such thing? How long does the whole process take from beginning to end? How much does it cost? The time for the background checks and all that really depends on the agency and the worker responsible for that part. It can take just a few weeks, or I have known people to wait a full year. Your house will be inspected to make certain it is safe for children. We had to have working smoke detectors, a home escape plan posted in every room, medicines locked in lock boxes, cleaning supplies locked in a special cabinet, extra beds, proof of auto and home insurance, proof of insect elimination contracts, proof that you can meet the needs of your own family (so you aren't fostering for the money) (we had to provide pay stubs and a copy of tax returns for that), how much you spend on monthly expenses, and so on. Since we were renting we had to have a letter from our landlord stating that he was aware of our being foster parents and he approved.

 

That stuff was the easy part. The writing of our personal biographies and chosing references were hard. not to mention those crazy questions on the very long personality questionaires...

[....]

Hi. My BFF is applying to go through this right now. We're in Texas...and she said that the agency told them that they HAVE to put the kid in public school. If you end up adopting the kid, after the mandatory six months - you can pull them out and homeschool. This is what they told her...and it probably does vary by location.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Your house will be inspected to make certain it is safe for children. We had to have working smoke detectors, a home escape plan posted in every room, medicines locked in lock boxes, cleaning supplies locked in a special cabinet, extra beds, proof of auto and home insurance, proof of insect elimination contracts, proof that you can meet the needs of your own family (so you aren't fostering for the money) (we had to provide pay stubs and a copy of tax returns for that), how much you spend on monthly expenses, and so on. Since we were renting we had to have a letter from our landlord stating that he was aware of our being foster parents and he approved.

 

That stuff was the easy part. The writing of our personal biographies and chosing references were hard. not to mention those crazy questions on the very long personality questionaires...

 

good grief.

 

no wonder they're always saying that there aren't enough foster parents.

[....]

good grief.

 

no wonder they're always saying that there aren't enough foster parents.

 

Yeah, my friend told me all the stuff they have to go through...they have to take classes, do a home study (where the social worker comes and observes their household), they had to provide info on all their bills and finances, etc. That was just some of the stuff. It was a lot.

[Laurie4b]

good grief.

 

no wonder they're always saying that there aren't enough foster parents.

 

This level of stuff is necessary. The state is placing a very vulnerable child in a home. States didn't use to do this level of stuff and ended up placing kids in homes with convicted murderers (happened in our state), homes where there were health hazards, with abusive foster parents, etc. It is intrusive if you already know that you are a good, safe parent, but the workers cannot know that without a lot of investigation.

 

There are many people who apply to become foster parents for the money--and if you know how little money, that is just sad. Often those people are looking for an easy way to make a buck and the hoops help with that, too. (these folks then don't spend the full stipend on the kid. We had to supplement the stipend to be able to give our kid what he needed, so you can imagine what it's like for a kid to get less than the allotted stipend.)

 

The ramped up evaluation phase is an attempt to change the fact that kids are more likely to be abused and neglected in foster care than in their original homes. It is a double tragedy. The whole system is badly broken--but a thorough initial evaluation is a good thing, not a negative.

[Whereneverever]

This level of stuff is necessary. The state is placing a very vulnerable child in a home. States didn't use to do this level of stuff and ended up placing kids in homes with convicted murderers (happened in our state), homes where there were health hazards, with abusive foster parents, etc. It is intrusive if you already know that you are a good, safe parent, but the workers cannot know that without a lot of investigation.

 

There are many people who apply to become foster parents for the money--and if you know how little money, that is just sad. Often those people are looking for an easy way to make a buck and the hoops help with that, too. (these folks then don't spend the full stipend on the kid. We had to supplement the stipend to be able to give our kid what he needed, so you can imagine what it's like for a kid to get less than the allotted stipend.)

 

The ramped up evaluation phase is an attempt to change the fact that kids are more likely to be abused and neglected in foster care than in their original homes. It is a double tragedy. The whole system is badly broken--but a thorough initial evaluation is a good thing, not a negative.

:iagree:

[jewellsmommy]

Thank you all. I pretty much figured that HS would be out for the fc child. I have been looking into the requirements and wow, there is a lot. I understand why there is so much scrutiny though. I read through a 281 page document about minimum standards for placement and was floored. I am sure the things that made it in there were there for a reason. But it surprised me to see such detail like: you cannot wash and reuse plastic ware such as cups, plates and utensils that are intended for 1 time use. I don't do this anyway, but I wonder what happened to make the state include that in the requirements, kwim? It is very specific about the rights of the child to afterschool and community programs such as boyscouts and 80 sq ft in the bedroom and 40 sq ft (per child) outside of the bedroom not counting the kitchen, bathroom, hallways r dining room (so I take this to mean living room or den). I was running around my house with a tape measure last night. We have both a den and a living room. We are good as far as space requirements go, but I am nervous about some other stuff. We make an adequate amt of money to support our family, but I worry how our credit will look and how high their standards are

[Whereneverever]

Thank you all. I pretty much figured that HS would be out for the fc child. I have been looking into the requirements and wow, there is a lot. I understand why there is so much scrutiny though. I read through a 281 page document about minimum standards for placement and was floored. I am sure the things that made it in there were there for a reason. But it surprised me to see such detail like: you cannot wash and reuse plastic ware such as cups, plates and utensils that are intended for 1 time use. I don't do this anyway, but I wonder what happened to make the state include that in the requirements, kwim? It is very specific about the rights of the child to afterschool and community programs such as boyscouts and 80 sq ft in the bedroom and 40 sq ft (per child) outside of the bedroom not counting the kitchen, bathroom, hallways r dining room (so I take this to mean living room or den). I was running around my house with a tape measure last night. We have both a den and a living room. We are good as far as space requirements go, but I am nervous about some other stuff. We make an adequate amt of money to support our family, but I worry how our credit will look and how high their standards are

With those questions you really are best contacting your local licensing agency and talking to a worker. Good luck!

[jewellsmommy]

Thank you, again. Apparently I have been overly concerned. After talking to some people yesterday I feel much better! As of right now, we are cautiously preceding.