Reasons to Become a Foster Parent

Safe Environment

• Many parents are overcome by stress and mental or physical problems. Providing a temporary home for a child gives the parents a break and allows them to get the help they need while ensuring the safety of the child. The child may have been removed from the home while the parent seeks treatment in a hospital or psychiatric facility. Temporary respite care provides a home for children on a temporary basis.

Stable and Loving Home

• Children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect need stability. These children have lived in dysfunctional homes and may have self-esteem problems. Placement in a loving home allows children to see how a healthy family interacts, and children begin to feel secure when they know what to expect.

Become a Family

• Many couples, for one reason or another, are unable to conceive their own child. Foster parenting allows these couples to experience parenthood and share their hearts and home with a child in need. Many childless couples dream of adopting children, but they know how long and difficult the process is. It may take years for their dream to become a reality, so many couples choose foster parenting as an alternative. Sometimes a temporary placement becomes permanent, and the couple may have the option of adopting the child if they choose.

Love

• Some children who are placed in foster care are there because of behavioral or emotional distress. These children are often described as "out of control," "defiant" or "challenging." They need firm but loving discipline in a stable environment. Children with problems such as these are often moved from place to place due to their behavior and may feel that no one wants them.