- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting adoption articles
- iparenting adoption q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Adoption Alternatives
Multiple Ways to "Parent" a Family
By Sue Marquette Poremba
With foster parenting, the state is in control, with the child's caseworker making all important decisions. "As a foster parent, you must go into the situation understanding that the goal is for the child to return home," Sember says. "Additionally, while the child is with you, you have to work with the parents to allow them contact. This can be difficult, particularly if you don't feel the parent is competent."
Another form of foster parenting is respite care providers. "These are trained foster parents who can step in and take a child for a day or a week so that the foster care parents the child lives with can get a break, take a vacation or tend to a medical matter," Sember says.
While foster parents do receive a monthly stipend to cover the costs of the child, and the child'smedical care is usually covered under Medicaid, becoming a foster parent is hard work and time consuming. Sims says she had to go through a 10-week class to help her understand the life of a child in foster care and the foster care system. She also had to go through a home-study visit and a health inspection within the home. "There is a lot of paperwork to fill out," she says.