PRIDE: Part 4

Another week and another six hours of training is in the books. This means there is only 3 hours left before I will have completed my required Foster Parent Training! It’s a bit crazy how quickly these 5 weeks have come and go. Well, 4 weeks…one week to gone. Anyway, as you all know from my previous posts, I’ve been learning a lot. And, as you can imagine, I’m learning & hearing much more than I share here. All of the book reading, personal stories of our trainers, videos, etc that we discuss in class have brought up a lot of different thoughts and emotions. I will try to explain a bit of that with this week’s update on Saturday’s class and where I am in the process currently.

Let’s start with this week’s class. This past Saturday was a bit different than the previous classes in that we had A LOT more discussion and personal stories of the trainers. Essentially what happened is we would start to cover something in the material and it would spark a question in someone. That was then answered by the trainers, sometimes with a personal story from their experience, and then that would spark another question and then another. 30 minutes later we would make our way back to the actual material and our trainer would say, well, we basically already covered this section by all of your questions and conversation!  Despite all that talking we did cover a lot of information. The first session was about what we, as Foster Parents, can do in helping the child transition either back to their biological family or to an adoptive one. It outlined our role in helping them to achieve permanency in the most positive way possible.

The second session was about ‘Planning for Change.’ We discussed how our lives would change once a foster child was brought into the picture. (I already miss my weekend naps!) More importantly, though, we discussed how to make an informed decision when asked to take a placement (child). Taking a placement is a big deal. The hope is that a child can stay in one placement as long as possible during their time in the system. This prevents them from having to move from home to home, and all that goes along with that. We reviewed all of the different questions we might want to ask when we receive “The Call.” Things such as information about the child’s physical & emotional health, any developmental or behavioral issues, placement history, permanency plan, and things about their daily life, including likes/dislikes, etc. If the child has been in the system for a while, they will be able to answer all of your questions. If the child is new in the system, they probably don't know anything about them. The problem that arises in these situation is that you generally have to give an answer right then & there on the phone. You see, each agency only has 2 hours to place that child. If you can't answer right away, they have to call the next person on the list so that they can meet their deadline for finding that child a home. They assured us that we should never feel bad or guilty for saying no or asking too many questions. There will, unfortunately, always be another call.

So, with only one class left you may be wondering what comes next. Well, here is a tentative schedule:

• March 9^th – PRIDE 9 (last training class)
• Once training is complete, they will enter that information into the computer system.
• My Licensing Worker (LW) will then receive confirmation that all requirements are complete.
• My LW will call to schedule a final walk-through of the home.
• If walk-through is approved, I will receive my license in the mail within 2 weeks.
• Once licensed, I will officially enter the system and be able to receive placements.

So close! I can't believe it is almost that time!

There is something else I wanted to share. After some thought, prayer, and discussion with my LW, I have decided to postpone any "real" placements for a month or two after licensing. This may be confusing for some of you, but I have some "time" issues that need to slightly improve before being able to take a full-time placement. Does this mean I will be licensed for no reason during this time? Absolutely not. There is a great need for Respite Care and I am going to serve in that capacity. Respite Care is child care provided by your agency for when Foster Parents just need a break, so they don't burn-out. It is generally a Saturday morning to Sunday evening thing. I have discussed this need with my LW and she seemed very positive about the idea of me doing only weekend respite care for the first month or two. There is a need for it, and if I'm willing, then that is great. This can, obviously, change at any time, but is the plan we are moving forward with right now. (I did mention to her that if a "perfect match" came about I would be willing to alter this plan.) Respite Care can be difficult as the kids don't know you, your house, or your rules and are only staying 2 days. Please pray that this time will be beneficial for me in getting my feet wet with how everything really works before taking a full-time placement of my own.

Well, I think that is it for this week. Licensing is only a couple of weeks away and I couldn't have made it this far without all of your prayers and support! Thanks!