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Becoming a foster parent begins with the licensing process, including an application, background checks, a home study, and training. Once licensed, Camelot looks at the needs of each particular child referred and matches them with a home-based on the strengths, experiences and preferences of the foster families. Information is shared with the foster parents about the proposed referral, and pre-placement visits are arranged for the family to meet the child. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it may take as long as three months to complete the entire process from start to finish, and for many prospective foster parents, the wait may seem like an eternity. Here are some tips that may help as you navigate your first foster care placement.
Be Tolerant
Many foster children have suffered neglect and abuse, and being placed in foster care only adds to their trauma. Most have built walls around themselves to keep out the hurt, and some struggle with developmental delays. Additionally, as a licensed foster parent, you must be able to support children’s ties to their birth families and assist reunification efforts, when applicable. Therefore, being tolerant and demonstrating the ability to work as a member of our team are important qualities for success, both during the placement process and after.
Be Flexible
Our goal is to always strive to keep sibling groups who enter into care together. Foster families willing and able to accommodate sibling groups are in high demand, as are those who are able to take older children and teens. Children needing specialized foster care placement are usually between the ages of five – 21, with most being 10 or older. Children aged birth to 21 may need foster care for just a few months, or may be in placement for over a year, while others may have a longer term goal of adoption or guardianship. Being flexible can make a huge difference in the placement process.
Be Patient
Foster care placements are much easier when both the licensing agency and the potential family are committed to the process through regular communication and cooperation. Three months may seem like an eternity, but the best approach is to be patient and embrace the wait. Make the most of the time you have to prepare before becoming a foster parent by connecting with other foster families, shopping for necessities, and setting up a comfortable bedroom space suitable for a child or teenager before their arrival.
Camelot announces the launch of Binti!
Camelot can help you become a licensed foster parent and provides support as you open your heart to children in need of a safe, loving home. We stand alongside our foster parents to ensure they have the resources and support required to care for the children placed in their homes. And today, we are pleased to announce the launch of Binti!
Binti is a user-friendly site that is specifically designed to help foster care agencies streamline the recruiting and licensing of non-relative and relative homes. Potential new families and licensing workers will be able to complete most licensing paperwork online. This system will not only lessen the time it takes to fill out forms in person, but it will also leave more time for workers to answer questions, offer encouragement, and provide support. Binti also provides families with information about Camelot and the process of becoming licensed.
Are you thinking about becoming a foster parent? If so, please click on the following link: https://family.binti.com/users/signup/camelot-il-initial
Every child needs and deserves to grow up safe and protected from abuse and neglect, and caring foster parents offer children support and stability when they need it most. At Camelot Care Centers, we specialize in higher-level foster care for children and adolescents that need extra support. We partner with our foster parents/homes to provide trauma informed care and additional services, including in-home counseling, parent support and training, tele-psychiatry, and therapeutic mentoring, to maintain children at the least restrictive, yet most appropriate level of care. Camelot Care Centers (“Camelot”) is a Child Welfare Agency.
