Since I want to be completely honest about this process, I would like to share with you some of the advantages of fostering OR foster-to-adoption. These kids are wards of the state, and even though it is an awful thing, it does have some benefits. First of all, the adoption of a child in foster care in the state of Texas is virtually FREE. Yes, free. There are minimal costs involved, such as FBI fingerprints, CPR certification, etc, but the small costs seem to come in steps, and aren't overwhelming.
Second, each of these kids are given free college tuition for any state school, and as we understand it, are even allowed that tuition for trade schools if college isn't for them. This is something that goes with them, even after adoption. The monthly subsidy for a basic needs child in foster care is approximately $650. Of course, this goes up as the need level increases. (Please do NOT do this for the money....it really has to be something that you have a heart for, because it is a HARD job.) I can't seem to find the link to the website I found last time, but there are subsidies AFTER adoption for some children. I think this varies state to state, and I believe age, race, and medical needs are all factors in how much assistance the child receives after adoption. (If anyone else finds the website, please let me know so I can post the link!)
Foster parents are allowed a "mini" break, consisting of three days of respite care each quarter, so every three months you are allowed three days "off." Sounds kind of harsh, but after three months of no-spending-the-night-at-Nana's, I'm sure we'll be ready to take our agency up on this assistance! I am not sure if respite varies for each agency, or if this is state-wide. (Still learning!).
Each child in foster care is on Medicaid until the age of 18 (special needs children may qualify for extended Medicaid, or maybe Medicare/Medicaid, not sure), even after adoption. Medical insurance isn't a real concern at this point for us since it doesn't matter how many children I add to my policy, but this is BIG concern and a huge cost for a lot of people.
Depending on the county in which you live, CPS may give a voucher for clothing assistance when the child(ren) is brought to you. Some ask for receipts and then reimburse. It was mentioned in training that certain counties have a "store" specifically for using their clothing vouchers. Again, all this information has been Googled or was given to us by veteran foster parents/respite caregivers in our training, so do some of your own research. Please correct me if you find out otherwise. I would like to be able to answer all questions that come my way on foster care over time, so I appreciate any advice/knowledge that can be passed on to me!
With all the bad, there is good. You can make a huge impact on a child's life in just a short period of time. Why let the "bad" parts of CPS and foster care scare you away from making a change in someone's life? Especially a little someone who NEEDS you.
The State of Texas:
* Monthly subsidies, sometimes even after adoption
* FREE medical care until the age of 18 (again, even after adoption)
* College tuition to any state school/trade school
* Respite care provided (may depend on agency) while in foster-care
* Adoption fees are MINIMAL, possibly even FREE (esp w/the new adoption refund!)
OH! And we did a little more investigating on the child care situation since that was our biggest ($$$) fear, and we found out that our parents/grandparents, etc CAN watch our kids for UNDER four hours, they just have to come to our house. They also have to have a valid driver's license, car insurance, and current CPR. (For $25 per person, I'd say that works!) I did speak to our home developer (another thing I learned! she's not our case worker/manager. :)) about allowing our foster-son to stay the night with friends or cousins after he'd been in our home for awhile and was more familiar with everyone, and she said it is possible, that's just something we'll have to work out with our case manager and CPS. Doesn't mean it's a definite, just means it's possible, and for now, that will do!
No comments:
Post a Comment