Why are there so many Black children in foster care? Because the Black single-parent family rate is twice as high as any other ethnic group in America and social service agencies make it their business to dissect the Black family brick by brick and child by child. It's not a father thing or a mother thing, it's a business thing.

Many people talk of how to change society but we know that a society begins with the family and the family is based on father, mother, and children all cohabitating in a loving home. If there are no good families, there is no good society. Churches, community groups, voters, the school system and local politicians talk of improving our way of life but how many will give time to just one child to make life better for people other than themselves?

Foster care homes are important for children that need a safe place to live. These homes are only provided temporarily and usually in an urgent situation. Children are often placed in a foster home because they have been removed from their family. Foster parents are then crucial to the welfare of the child, and often work closely with teachers, attorneys, social workers, doctors, and other agency officials.

Foster parents are not there to replace the child's family; however, foster children have crucial needs for which a foster parent must provide. These needs are not just food and shelter, but rather, the needs include support, encouragement, reassurance, self-esteem, self-worth, and most importantly, love.

Do you possess what it takes to help support someone else's child? Do you have enough love in your heart to give and enough time to spend in providing a safe and secure place for a child deprived of its family?

Foster parents provide hope to a child otherwise shadowed by issues that are dangerous to the child's physical and mental health. Physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, drug problems, alcohol problems, and sexual abuse are just some of the reasons that result in a child being removed from his or her home. Understandably the child is often afraid, angry, confused, and heart-broken from the events that led to their removal.

Also, some foster children have special needs, such as emotional, behavioral, physical, or developmental problems. But it is always the case that every child needs a loving home where in he or she can be safe and be on the road to a better life.

Is there some family or parent in your neighborhood who may be at risk for losing their child because of lack of proper support? Many people whom you would never imagine are not raising their children with what it takes to actually raise a child. Many parents could possibly be considered neglecting their child. Without the proper time spent, nutritional habits, proper medical treatment, or even proper discipline techniques, many parents fit the description of a neglectful.

Adoption is often a consideration for foster parents. In fact, about two-thirds of the children placed in foster care are later adopted by their foster parents. But the question remains, are you willing to do what it takes to be a foster parent?

There are several requirements that a foster parent must satisfy, and you should be familiar with them before taking on the responsibility of caring for a foster child. Some problems that a foster parent needs to be able to handle include setting discipline in the home, dealing with bed-wetting, lying, and rebellion.

Foster parents need to act as any other parents, but with the added challenge of dealing with a child that has a troubled background and an already inflated fear of rejection. They need to provide a sense of belonging, acceptance, and love; however, these needs are usually met by the result of a small success following an enduring struggle with many early failures. And many times it is the case that after all this effort is put into a relationship with a foster child, the foster parent must be able to let go if the child needs to be relocated or placed back with his or her family.

General requirements

Requirements vary from state to state, and it is always best to check with your local foster care agency, but some basic general requirements are listed in the following:

* Be at least 21 years old
* Have a bed and personal area in which a foster child can keep his or her belongings
* Your home meets local fire, safety, and sanitation standards
* Be physically and emotionally capable to care for children
* No alcohol or drug abuse problems
* You must pass a criminal background check
* No record of child abuse or neglect
* An income providing for your own family, independent from the foster care reimbursement income.

Financial assistance

Depending on what state you live in, financial support will vary. It is best to consult with a foster care agency in your area regarding this matter; however, every state does provide financial support, and every state does require proof that your family's needs are currently met prior the additional income.

It isn't for everyone

Even after every class, meeting, and seminar required for foster parenting, there are many situations that will arise for which you have not been prepared. In some cases, foster parents with the best intentions and enthusiasm have found that foster care was too demanding on their household and family. Foster parenting is not for everyone, but the need is there for a child to have a blessing come into his or her life.

Interested?

The trials and challenges of foster parenting are things for which you need to be aware; however, they are incomparable to the rewards and blessing that becoming a foster parent will provide. If you are aware of the difficulties, and still want to be a blessing in a child's life, then foster parenting is for you.

Consider being part of the solution in today's troubled society.

© 2003 by AfroStaff