Becoming a foster parent in Louisiana is a way to help children in need.
Foster care parents in Louisiana provide temporary care for children who cannot stay with their biological parents. Child abuse, physical or emotional illness, deaths in the family, neglect and special family circumstances are some of the reasons children may require foster care. When possible, a child is reunited with his biological family as soon as possible. In Louisiana, a potential foster parent must become certified, receive training and be evaluated before a child can be placed in her home.
Instructions
1. Visit the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services website (see Resources) to see get started as a foster parent and receive information and sign up for foster care orientation. You must be at least 21 years old, have sufficient income and be in good mental, physical and emotional health. Foster parents are not paid.
2. Attend foster parent orientation. This is an informational meeting that teaches you about the foster care and adoption programs offered by the state agency. Orientation classes are held at your local Child Welfare Office. Search for the phone number of your local Child Welfare Office, and the date of the next orientation, on the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services website (see Resources).
3. Apply to receive Louisiana foster care certification. The certification form is handed out at the first pre-service training session. Personal information such as a driver's license, social security card, birth certificate, income verification, car insurance and pet immunization records are necessary for certification. In Louisiana, all adults in your house must be fingerprinted for security. You must receive documentation from a physician and complete a form that shows all members of your household are free of communicable disease. The agency requires five references.
4. Attend the seven three-hour training sessions. This is when you learn proper foster care procedures and are taught the rules, guidelines and responsibilities. A Louisiana Home Development Worker will interview and observe you at home during your training. Your house will receive a fire inspection and be checked for safety. Any additional paperwork is processed during the training.
5. Become certified at the end of your training and wait for an opportunity to have a child placed in your house. You may give restrictions on the child's age, gender, race and number of children to be placed. You can always refuse a placement. In Louisiana, a board rate of around $450 per month is provided to help with the child's expenses. The child's worker is available 24 hours a day to help with problems. You are given a Louisiana Foster Parent ID card, which is used for legal identification at schools, hospitals and other government offices.
Tags: foster care, child placed, Child Welfare, Child Welfare Office, Children Family, Children Family Services, Department Children