If you are just starting out being a foster parent, you likely have no idea what to expect during the process. This can make you feel a bit anxious because you want to be the best foster parent that you can be to any child who comes into your home. Thankfully, there are certain things that you can expect the first week of a new foster placement and knowing these things can help you to feel more prepared. Here are three things that you can expect.
Expect Them Not To Show Up
If you are expecting a foster child to come into your home, it is important that you are aware that they actually may not even show up. Things can change very quickly within the foster care system, and a child that is going to be placed with you may end up going somewhere else, staying in their current home, or the placement may simply be delayed. Knowing this can help you to be less rigid and stressed and will allow you to go with the flow more easily.
Expect To Deal With Paperwork
Another thing to expect is a lot of paperwork. When a child first comes into your home, you will get a lot of paperwork that contains important information about them. This includes school information, medical information, their history, and more.
Expect Very Little Information
Lastly, it is very important that you expect to get very little information about the child who is coming into your home. A lot of the time this information simply isn’t available to the foster agency yet, so it can’t be given to you. Having the mentality to “be prepared for anything” is the best way to go about things in this type of situation.
To learn more about what to expect the first week of a new foster placement, or to get involved in foster care today, visit us at TFI Family Services.