Foster care provides temporary homes for children while arrangements that are more permanent are arranged. The arrangements that are more permanent could include adoption. Sometimes foster care is used while legal guardianship of the child in question is determined. Foster care parents have responsibilities that many traditional parents have, but they also have additional responsibilities to the case worker and foster care agency. Also, case workers may work to ensure that traditional parenting responsibilities are met.
General Responsibilities
Generally, foster parents are responsible for meeting the general needs of the foster child in terms of food, clothing and shelter. They are responsible for providing a home environment that is nurturing and safe. Foster parents are responsible for participating in the educational, medical and dental needs of the foster child. They are also responsible for meeting the transportation needs of the child.
Physical Needs
Foster parents are responsible for ensuring the child's nutritional needs are met. Clothing should be adequate for the climate and season. Supervision needs to be provided 24 hours a day. The child should be allowed to participate in a healthy exercise routine. The foster child needs to have an individual bed and storage space for personal belongings. Foster parents are responsible for ensuring the child follows good hygiene practices. If the foster child is taking medications, the foster parent is responsible for ensuring that the medications are taken as directed by a physician.
Emotional Needs
Fair treatment should be administered to all children in the household, whether they are biological or foster children. According to the Foster Care & Adoptive Community, foster children should be included in family activities and foster parents are responsible for showing affection to them. Foster children should be helped in any grieving process that results from being displaced from a normal home situation. In meeting the foster child's emotional needs, foster parents should ensure that constructive relationships are maintained with case workers and the child's biological parents if applicable.
Other Needs
According to the Missouri Department of Social Services, foster parents are responsible for giving child skills that are age appropriate. In addition to hygiene skills, these skills include coping skills, money management skills, interpersonal skills, parenting skills, job search skills and social skills.
Foster Care Specific Responsibilities
Foster care parents are expected to meet the expectations of case workers. Case workers expectations include attendance of all case worker meetings, providing information about the foster child's progress to the case worker and notification of the foster care agency in the case of any emergency.
