Here are my last watercolor paintings of 2012. They were for a 4x4" swap with the theme of winter landscapes. This is with my Sakura Koi travel watercolors on that nifty handmade paper...the paper you have to practically beat the paint into.
So...if you've been reading my blog or following me on Facebook, you might be wondering how the first in-home interview went. Well, I'd say it went well. We met with our Licensing and Placement specialist in our home, and she asked us some pretty basic questions. Why do we want to foster children? Are we physically able to have our own children? What sort of childhood did we have? What sort of discipline will we use? Do you understand that the goal of fostering is reunification after the parents get (or don't get) their act together?
We discussed what foster parenting means legally, what forms of discipline are acceptable, what rights we'll have as children's foster parents...She made sure we understand that the goal of foster parenting is reunification...and you may not always want that, but you have to stick with the care-plan.
We were given a lot more paper work to do...
- application to have fingerprints checked
- references from our work
- physical exam documentation of vaccination history
- worker registration
- Notification of safe sleep practices
- financial worksheet
- Home Escape plan
- discipline agreement
- 15 pages of very personal questions in the "Home Study Questionnaire"
We were given some tips on making our house more foster-kid friendly
- knives and chemicals should be placed in a high cabinet with a lock
- critter cages should be given locks
- we should consider adding a keyed lock to the pantry and maybe our bedroom
- consider putting twin beds in the guest rooms :)
- purchase a lockable medicine cabinet
- when we have a placement, remove all sentimental items or other items you would miss if broken from the bedrooms. You know... in case time out didn't go well.
What comes next? Well over the next few weeks, we'll finish up the paperwork. At the end of January we'll start taking the required class - 3 hours a week for 9 weeks. During that time there will be 3 more home visits and interviews. This is a ton of paper work and hassle, but we're determined to proceed. God has placed this in our hearts. Please pray for us as we prepare to accept children into our home.
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and
whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” Mark 9:37
Peace and Love, y'all!
2 comments:
So true about the valuables. I love what you guys are trying to do, but make sure and protect yourselves. Some of these kids can be pretty messed up. Rem's mom and stepdad foster and they've had kids who steal... and lie, so one more piece of advice. If there are girls, I would be very careful leaving Chase alone with them. Those lifetime movies aren't all fiction. I know of three real life false accusations towards foster fathers/brothers and sexual abuse/harassment. Some kids will try and lie to get themselves back home at any cost. Message or call me if you want/need specific examples or info about what I've seen/been through. Good luck with everything, I'm sure you'll be great foster parents!
Thanks Lisa! We're definitely soaking up all the advice we can get. Right now our age range is 4 to 16, sibling groups up to 3 children. We are really nervous :)
Katie
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