[mamma2]

I have been trying to find information on laws regarding who can foster before I contact any organization. I am hoping some of you can give me some information that would really help. We are looking to start fostering next year, which will give us time to get licensed: I will be 20, my husband will be 22, we will have a 2 year old and a 1 year old (biological children). I have heard you have to be 21 to foster, is that true and do they make exeptions in cases of where one spouse is older etc? What about us having 2 toddlers? Housing and income etc. are very stable so that is not an issue. thanks to anyone who can help! greatly appreciated!

[LadyBugz]

Your profile says you are in Illinois. You can see the licensing standards by clicking the link to section 402 from here and then dropping down to subsection 12. Here's a cut from it:

LICENSING STANDARDS FOR FOSTER FAMILY HOMES August 7, 2009 – P.T 2009.14
Section 402.12 Qualifications of Foster Family
a) The licensees shall be either a single person or a man and woman married to each other. Each foster parent shall be willing and able to assume appropriate responsibilities for the child or children received for care.
c) Foster parents shall be stable, law abiding, responsible, mature individuals, at least 21 years of age.

Subsection 14b covers how having two toddlers would affect you.
1) Four Children Under Age Six
No more than four children under six years of age, including the foster parent's own children, shall receive full-time care in a foster family home at any one time. When all of the foster children are of common parentage, as defined in Section 402.2, the foster home may be specifically approved under subsection(c)(3)(A)(ii) of this Section to care for more than four children under six years of age with the approval of clinical services and licensing.
2) Two Children Under Age Two
No more than two children, including the family's own children, shall be under two years of age unless the foster family home is accommodating a sibling group on a temporary basis.


I do not know if exceptions are made for those who have been married for a length of time but are under 21. I also do not know if they have a guideline in place for not having a major life event (birth, death, marriage, infertility, move, laid off, etc) within a certain period of time. Those that do usually say between 6 and 24 months. Neither are reflected in their standards, but the practice of how they interpret "stable" is something someone from IL will have to speak to.