1.5- What To Expect When Your Expecting

Waiting...

And waiting...

Still waiting.

Phone rings, this might be THE CALL!?

IT IS THE CALL!!

The case manager says they have a 2 year old, boy, Hispanic (maybe?), from Taylor county, will you take him?

Yep that's it, that's all the info your going to get and hopefully it's accurate! I've had some Hispanics show up at my door that are blonde, blue eyes, and ghostly white skin. Unfortunately not all of the 4 details you thought you knew about the child are correct!

Some come with lots of medications, no medical history, some with lots of clothes and some with only a diaper. Some with bruises. Some hungry. Some dirty. Some clean. Some appear to have been taken care. One thing in common is they ALL come with the need to be loved. 

Now you've waited 15 minutes for your new toddler to arrive or maybe you received more notice and have had 2 days to prepare. Regardless, your door bell is going to ring soon and on the other side of the door is going to be a child that will impact your life forever. 

Be prepared for an hour to two hours worth of paperwork and discussion when CPS and arrives with your new kiddo. 

Here is a list of things that can be helpful the first few hours a placement arrives: 

1) Have kid friendly snacks ready, while you may want to give them healthy fruits and veggies so they can have a fresh healthy start in your house, chances are they are not use to this. I recommend crackers, peanut butter and jelly, pretzels, dry cereal, etc. Save introducing new things for another day instead of the same day their whole world has been rocked. 

2) If there is someone available for you that can come to your house when they arrive it's nice to have an extra set of hands to turn cartoons on, or possibly give them a bath if needed or maybe read a goodnight story and put them to bed, depending on what time they arrive. 

3) Always bathe the child and put fresh clean clothes on as soon as possible. This is the perfect time to do a physical assessment and check for any bruises, diaper rash, other injuries, lice, sores, etc.  

4) If you find lice wash EVERYTHING they came with IMMEDIATELY! Lice is very common with kids that are coming into care.

5) Ask every question you can think of at the time of placement. 

a) Any allergies? 

b) Any medication? 

c) WIC cards? What kind of formula?

d) Medicaid cards? Doctors name and phone number? 

e) Family visits? If so where and when? 

g) Get caseworker and CASA phone number and an on call number. 

6) Do not plan for anything on the day of placement, you never know what can/will happen. 

7) Relax, Breathe and enjoy your night with your first foster child! 

1.3 What To Expect When You're Expecting

Training, Preparation and Cost

Well, you did it!! You chose a CPA!! (and I hope it was AWFC or one just as good, if there is such a thing!)

Now the fun part begins, training and preparation for that new little boy or girl that you will be loving on soon!

Your CPA will schedule training with you and that could happen a few different ways. You can go to them every week for several weeks, you can have a lot of it in 2 weekends, or they can come to you, it all depends on your CPA.

I recommend getting a training notebook, a 1-2" binder works great, some dividers or plastic page protectors, highlighters and different color pens and a calendar.

See my training notebooks below! 

Nothing fancy, just a 1 1/2 inch binder! 

You will need a calendar to make note of the things you will be responsible for scheduling, including but not limited too:

- Fire Inspection ($0-$100)
- Health Inspection ($0-$100)
- TB Test (approx. $15/ per person, every peson in the home over 1 needs a TB Test)
- Fire Extinguisher Inspection ($5 for inspection, approx. $40 for fire extinguisher)
- Trainings
- CPR (adult and child and infant) ($25-$60/ per person, some CPA's offer CPR free of charge)
- FBI Fingerprints (approx. $35/per person)
- Homestudy

Once a child is placed in your home a calendar will NOT be an option, so ya might as well get used to it now!

****TIP**** make a copy of EVERYTHING you turn in and make a note at the top of the copy that includes the date the document is turned in and who it was turned it in to, it doesn't have to be anything fancy something like the picture works great for us! As good as your CPA is your case manager is still human, and truth be told there's not a lot of people that want to do his/her job, creating a lot of work for few people, so knowing when and who you turned your documents into can save a lot of time and headache down the road if a document gets lost or misplaced.

(Like this, simple right!?) 

Now I know your anxious to start decorating the room or buying those teeney tiny clothes or getting some cool magazines and headphones for that teenager, well go ahead!! Collecting a little a time is much easier on the pocket book later on and it will make your child feel a little more welcome when he or she comes in that first day!

I recommend having 24 hours worth of clothes/supplies for every age you are licensed for. For example, if you are licensed for ages 0-8 girls and boys, have at least one outfit in every size for both genders and a set of pajamas, underwear, a toothbrush, hairbrush, a variety of shoes, and several sizes of diapers in a few different brands, wipes, different types of bottles, formula, pacifiers, blankets, and a car seat.  I know your thinking it's going to cost you a fortune to do that but trust me on this, it won't! Shop garage sales, Facebook buy, sale, trade pages, clearance isles (I love Target and Old Navy clearance!) People love to help (and clean out their closets) and if your friends and family know that you are gathering things for your future kiddos, I promise you will have more than you need!

I'm going to focus a little more on babies right now because that is what we are anticipating. I often get opened packages of diapers that someone's baby has out grown before using the whole package for a few dollars. Sign up on for formula samples and companies will mail you samples so you have a variety! (you never know which one is going to work for a baby!) 

I DO NOT recommend a second hand car seat unless you know the person, it is NOT expired and you know it has not been in a wreck. Educate yourself on car seat safety. 

I get all other baby equipment, bouncers, swings, bassinet, high chairs, etc on Facebook buy sale trade pages! 

FOSTER PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE DOORWAY JUMPERS, WALKERS, OR VIDEO BABY MONITORS. Please see a complete list of items that are prohibited by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

1.2 What to Expect When You're Expecting

Choosing an Agency

So you've decided to look into it [fostering]. Now what? You've Googled, huh?! Don't worry, been there done that!
You googled "fostering in [insert your city]" and your results: 25768 agencies, organizations, resources, horrible pictures of abused children, etc. Now, which link should you click on?!

Start by searching for a more specific CHILD PLACING AGENCY (CPA)

*Tip* If you are a Christian I highly recommend a Christian CPA. It is very important to have a Christian agency that your comfortable with to help counsel and cover your family in prayer during the trials and victories of your foster care journey.

First, find a CPA that serves YOUR area! Most CPAs have the area that they cover listed by city on their web site or you can call your local DFPS office to find out which region you live in.

Find a CPA that meets your basic needs and has similar morals, you can often find their mission statements, or the CPA "about me" section on their websites or call and ask!

After you check the CPA's requirements and you know you meet them all it is important that YOU interview the CPA, after all you will be working closely with them in very high stress situations.

Questions you may want to ask when you call or interview the CPA (in no particular order)
1) How often does the case manager visit? It is required by licensing to visit a basic level child once per month. An agency that visits more than once often creates a trusting relationship with foster parents/child which creates a more successful placement.
2) What are the monthly requirement of the foster parents? Monthly progress notes are required by licensing. Medication logs and activity calendar are also required.
3) What specific resources are available to foster parents that chose to foster through [CPA name]? Some CPA's offer a wide variety of resources and some are very limited or none beyond the requirements of licensing.
4) Does [CPA name] have someone that is available for support 24/7 for my family? Your case manager may not always be available but a good CPA will have an on call person and some even have an on call nurse available to you and your CHILD 24/7, every day of the year!
5) How important is MY family and my biological children incomparison to the children placed in care? A good CPA will say they are equally important. If you have children it's imperative that they are not "forgotten" in the business of the caseworkers, therpy, case managers etc.
6) How are foster parents reimbursed for the expenses of the child in care?  While it should not be about money at all and if you are considering fostering as a paying job, you should look elsewhere. You will be paid approximately $1/hour. Some CPA's offer reimbursement for travel expenses, respite relief, vacations and more. Its ok to ask your potential CPA, let's face it, raising a child is expensive and if your caring for the child in care to the best of your ability it will cost more than $1/hour. 
7) What if we fall in love with our child, do we have the option to adopt? Some CPA's are foster only, be sure you choose a CPA with a foster to adopt option if adoption is considered.

After you have visited with your potential CPA and feel comfortable proceeding, training and preparation come next!

DISCLAIMER: I have not been paid or reimbursed to represent A World For Children. AWFC is our personal choice of CPA. I highly recommend AWFC to anyone interested in foster parenting and I am more than willing to discuss AWFC specifically with you!