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1. What is foster parenting?

There’s no place like home. But sometimes children need more protection, guidance and help growing up than their parents can provide for them at the time. Many children in Cortland County are placed in foster care each year. For them, it’s a chance to succeed and grow; for their parent, it’s a time to receive the help they need. Foster care provides a second chance. Children’s needs are met, while services are provided to attempt to resolve the family’s problems. For many families, foster care is the temporary help they need to get back on their feet. Become a foster parent and help a child’s experience in care be one they can look back on as a time of support and recovery.

2. Why are children placed in Foster Care?

Reasons why children are placed in foster care are limitless. Sometimes children are having problems getting along in school, at home, or in the community. Others may be victims of neglect, physical or sexual abuse. Sometimes parents may be overwhelmed by their own problems and are not able to deal with their children’s needs. For children and parents affected by these issues, foster care provides a second chance. Children’s needs are met, while services are provided to attempt to resolve the family’s problems.

3. Is foster parenting difficult?

The role of foster parent is rewarding, but it is also a challenging one. The same foster child that can fill your home with love and laughter may also be a source of frustration. Like all children, foster children need help as they grow in order to do well in school, to grow and develop with confidence, and to develop a good self-image. They also need the stability your home can provide while they and their families work out their barriers to being together.
Working with a child’s birth parents can be a challenge. Although, many foster parents have found working with the child’s parents to be an opportunity to provide much needed encouragement and support. It is important to realize that many of today’s struggling parents were abused and/or neglected as children themselves.

4. Who can be a foster parent?

YOU MUST: Be at least 21 years old, Have adequate housing for a foster child which requires that your home meet health and safety standards, Be in good health, Have a steady source of income which can include salary, pension, Social Security, or other means of financial support, Be able to work as part of a team with the social services agency, other community agencies and the child’s biological parents, Be willing to make a commitment to the child in your care, Understand that the primary goal of foster care for children is the reunification of the biological family, and that foster care is a temporary solution to the problem, Want to make a difference in a child’s life.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO: Be married, Be Young (many foster parents are grandparents and senior citizens), Be ready for a lifetime commitment.

5. How do I become a foster parent?

Step 1: To begin the process, contact Jennifer Hammond, Foster Care Home Finder at (607)756-3434 who will provide you with a packet of information and necessary forms.
Step 2: You will participate in a 30-hour pre-certification training following the MAPP/GPS curriculum to better prepare you for foster parenting and to help you determine if foster parenting is right for your family (classes are offered twice per year).
Step 3: After you are certified, you will discuss placement preferences and options with the Home Finder to determine which foster child would fit in best with your family environment.
Step 4: Trainings will be offered throughout your time as a foster parent (a minimum of 6 hours of training is required annually). Your caseworker will be available and will be a support to you and any child placed in your home.
Step 5: As a foster family you will receive a daily stipend, clothing allowance, and medical insurance for each child in care.