I'm currently approved to adopt (which in my state, is basically the same process as for fostering...training is the same, etc)....and now i'm taking FP training with a different agency.
Please keep in mind that rules vary between states with regard to the types of pets you can have, how much room you need to have, ages you can keep in your room, etc. So to be sure you need to find out the rules in your state.
I'm in MI, and here:
There arent (as far as i know)any breed restrictions on animals. I have cats, and the homestudy worker asked (after my homestudy, i think she had forgotten)via email "you cats are up to date on shots right?" and i said "yes" but she didnt ask for proof. I dont know if this new agency will want actual proof. I know some states do restrict dogs like pit bulls but that varies *widely* so make sure you find out the regulations in your state before you worry about it. If you do have something like a pitbull mix, you can always say its a boxer mix or something.
Children 3 and under can sleep in a parents bedroom, in their own crib. Its not frowned upon, and its listed as such in my homestudy. I'm assuming that when i get licensed for foster care, they won't blink an eye at me having a crib in my room. In many states the age cutoff is age 2 or age 1, so be sure to ask. Some agencies are real sticklers about the baby not being in your *bed* but my new agency said that you have to have a bed for the child, but they arent going to be standing over you making sure the child actually sleeps in it.
Children over age 5 can not share a room with opposite gender(again, varies by state)...so a 3 and 4 yr old girl/boy combo can share, but a 3 and 6 yr old cannot. Children of any age can share a room if they are the same gender. They need to have their own bed, as far as i know, although exceptions have been made. In my state, they go by sq footage, you have to have 40 sq feet per person in the room, so if the room is really big, you can have more kids. I could technically have three (including my son)in the second bedroom.
For me, a homestudy consisted of a worker coming to my home, sitting and talking with me for an hour about my life, my family, the way i discipline, what type of child i wanted to adopt, etc. Very informal and easy. The next time she came out she looked around briefly (VERY briefly), made sure we had a fire extinguisher, and measured the rooms. I had a background check(no fingerprinting required in my state), had filled out a simple application and financial form, and that was it. Spanking is not allowed for foster children, and they discourage you from doing it with your own kids too, so i'm not sure why the other poster had an issue with it in class (although given the attitudes of the people in my first classes, i wouldnt have made an issue of spanking either....the potential FPs were all for it, the trainers werent though.)
They really want to approve you. My house is fairly cluttered, at the time i had three cats (now two), i live in a 2 bdrm apt. It wasnt an issue at all.
I am generally untrustworthy of the govt, but havent felt at all like i was exposing myself to the state being in my business. We also homeschool, and will be able to HS an adopted child from placement (but not foster kids), and it wasnt a big deal. I didnt say "unschooling" i said "child led, interest based, hands on learning" or some such thing. I actually feel a little more protected from , say, DHS showing up at my door accusing me of educational neglect, because i can say "hey you guys were already here, knew i homeschooled, and approved me to adopt a child!"
Some FPs do have problems with allegations of abuse from the child in their home (or by the child's parents)...which is scary but something you'll need to accept can happen (document, document, document!) I will only be fostering kids 0-3, since i dont want to deal with school issues, and hopefully that will also cut down on alot of potential allegations.
It couldnt hurt to take the training, its pretty informative.
Good luck!
Katherine
) sometimes messy. Would they care or would this screen us out?
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