Going Through The Foster Process: Phase 1
Note: Every certification process is different per your state/county. I am just sharing my story in hopes it inspires and helps you along your own journey.
We have been a certified resource family for over two months now and are (im)patiently waiting for that call. It’s been a bit crazy going from so much paperwork, in-person training, at home training, and various home visits to now… just having to wait with no control of anything anymore. At least with the paperwork and training we got a false sense of control because we could set the pace for the rate that we wanted to progress through the various requirements. Now that we’re at a lull, I have a minute to write out and share our experience of going through the process so far.
What to Expect
Going Through The Foster Process is not for the faint at heart. It is long, tiring, and there is so much unknown that can drive you crazy. Understanding this when going in may help ease the sting of waiting and not knowing a bit, but we’re all still human.
It’s not glamorous
From orientation in a dim lit room, to spending hours dedicated to learning the many situations children come into this system, to all the detailed personal information you have to share candidly… it can be overwhelming and make anyone want to run the other way.
Tips To Anyone Going Through The Process
- The first thing I can recommend to anyone Going Through The Foster Process with a partner, is to be on the same page. Communication is obviously essential to a healthy and happy relationship, but when openly walking into a stressful chapter it’s all the more important.
- Next- be organized. It’s incredibly lame I know, but honestly the
paperwork just keeps coming. And every piece is necessary and some pages are associated with training materials while others require copies and then some you’ll need readily available to reference (gasp for breath here)- basically, setting up an organized system early on will save you tons of time and stress in the long run.
- Take notes and be open to learning. There is so much to learn. There are so many potential situations to learn how to best equip for, and so much to learn about how to help a child cope with their stresses and traumatic experiences. There’s also just so much to learn to be a prepared caretaker. There just.SO.MUCH.
Related: Harry Potter Themed Baby Shower
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For those that stick around it doesn’t get easier. It’s uncertain. “It depends” is said more often than you’d like. There’s never a direct answer- it always, genuinely, just, depends. There’s always risk. The primary goal of foster care is reunification, even for those resource families on the foster-to-adopt path. The mental process of supporting reunification for a child that you’ve fallen in love with- well that’s something I haven’t been through and can’t even imagine how difficult it would be.
But it’s something that we have to acknowledge is a possibility within our foster care experience. No matter what phase of it you find yourself in however, I know the end result will always be well more than worth any difficulties along the way.
Phase 2
Phase 2 will come after we receive that very important phone call, bringing them home and spending some time with them and learning this part of the process. Stay tuned!
