Step #1 was figuring out whaaaat the heck I’m doing. I set an appointment with Foster Love in Belton, Texas. They are a non-profit that exists to support foster parents and those in the system. I am so thankful for them and all of the information I received in our brief meeting. Phew* I was able to set up a meeting between conference calls and interviews at work. We went through the basics. Here’s what I learned. There are 2 licensing options (in Texas):
-CPS
-Private
Alternately, I learned that there are different “tiers” to foster care. Please note that I’ve taken some creative license with the titles to break down the categories:
- Basic or “Traditional:” these are children considered pretty “normal” by the system. Little to no obvious behaviors tied to trauma
- Specialized: children with “mild” higher needs: this could be a learning disability like dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, etc. Basically kids that are “mostly normal” but with higher needs for attention and care
3. Therapeutic: children who are coming from a hard place, such as neglect, abuse, traumatic family situations. Typically these kids can display overwhelming behaviors that point to their experiences (P.S. this is the part where I started crying hysterically on the phone). These children are the “least wanted” of the system.
4. Foster care for children with medical disabilities that require regular care
Ironically, Child Protective Services only licenses for “basic” placements, which means that there’s a huge need for foster parents to intervene on the behalf of the medically disabled. This need also applies to children with intermediate disabilities and overwhelming behaviors. So, the next step for me is to fine an agency. I’ve emailed every major agency in the East Texas region for an Orientation meeting (gulp*). I’ll let ya’ll know where I land. I should start meeting with them next week to make a decision. My goal is to be a Therapeutic Foster Parent (double gulp*), which means that I’ll have to go through a private agency.
Busy Bossy 