[mahrtanl]

My husband and I would like to slowly get into fostering. When we first talked about fostering we agreed to wait until our second child was out of diapers (we only have an 11 month old son now). But the more I hear about so many kids needing a safe place, the more I want to push that date up. We've talked about it and decided we'd like to start getting involved, but slowly, since it seems like a lot of people become overwhelmed by it. But we have so many questions and I'm having trouble finding the answers. There seems to be so many agencies in our area, without spending months looking into them all, how do we find out which ones are better to work with? Should we work with a private agency or a county (public) agency? Can we start out volunteering, then get into respite care, then work our way into a short or long term foster? Can two working parents be foster parents? Will we get extra money for daycare expenses? How much choice will we have in the age/sex of the child? Will I be looked down on because we don't know if we can handle a seriously abused child or a handicapped child at the beginning? And SOOO many more questions!

We'd like to have a foster child near the age of our son so that they could share clothes/toys to keep costs down. We think every child deserves a safe home where they can develop the fundamentals needed in life and be loved and just be a kid. We know there are tons of kids out there that don't get to experience this. But on the other hand we don't want to get in over our head and not be able to handle doing it long term.

[Withay]

A lot depends on where you live as to different agencies. You might want to start with the yellow pages of your phone book and look up foster care to see what agencies are listed.

I would suggest having a list of questions with enough space to write answers on (several copies) so that you can ask the same questions of each agency. This way you can compare answers and see which agency 'feels' like the best fit for your family.

You might also see if they are having any orientation meetings that you can attend, without committing to that agency. I know that with DHS they always have (in my area at least) a full day orientation on a Saturday that brings in a lot of people who have questions. After this meeting people are free to either continue with the evening classes or not.

Good luck. Welcome to the Foster Parent forums.

[mahrtanl]

We are in Dayton, Ohio if that helps at all. And yes, I took some time just looking in the yellow pages yesterday. I found about 20 agencies that look good in our area, and to me, that seems overwhelming to get to know all of them and find the right fit. But then again, thats why we want to go slow and make sure we are making the right choice. A lot of the agencies have websites with calanders, I'll have to take a look and see if they have orientations. Most of them will send you information packets, which I've already requested. It just still seems extremly overwhelming....but it's a journey well worth the time.

[tylind23]

I think it's great that you are looking into foster care and also that you are taking the time to find what works best for your family. I don't have a lot of advice as far as choosing an agency. I went with the first agency I found. In my case, that's not a bad thing. I was considering fostering, heard about this agency, requested an information packet, and then went to an orientation. I was really impressed with what I heard at the orientation and felt comfortable with working with this agency, so I didn't need to look any further. I've had a few minor annoyances with my agency, but for the most part I'm really glad I chose them. I think respite care may be a great way to get your feet wet. That way you can get involved and see what fostering is all about, without making a long term commitment right away. Plus, then you'll be that much closer to being a foster parent when you decide you are ready. It shouldn't be a problem for both of you to be employed. I don't think that will affect your ability to foster too much. Not sure about daycare where you are from. It's not covered here, but some places it is. You can ask at the orientation. You have tons of say in the age/sex of the child you want to foster. That doesn't mean that they won't call you with kids outside your preferences, but you can always say no. Hope this helps. Good luck.