Hello! First let me tell you how excited I am that you’ve decided to become a foster parent! That’s awesome. I admire your choice and know you are about to enter a completely foreign world that will forever change you and how you view the world around you.
I know this because I’ve seen and lived it. When I began my career with Child Welfare, I was almost 30, had some living behind me, and thought I knew what I was getting into. My first week in Child Welfare, I learned how wrong I was. I didn’t have a clue what was actually involved.
I’d joined OKDHS Child Welfare because I truly love children and want to help people, but was not prepared for the extent of the abuse and neglect our kids suffer through. Nor was I prepared for the degree of issues our parents come to us with.
Child Welfare is not a Monday through Friday, 8-5 job or even 5 days a week, its 24/7. We live and breathe it. Besides being on-call about every other month, I get calls all the time at home from foster parents, parents and kids. That’s not a big deal; I want to be available for my kids and foster and biological parents. Most call only if it’s an emergency or if they just really need someone to listen to them vent about parents not showing up for visits with their children. It takes time away from my family though.
Admittedly and thankfully, I don’t always miss my children’s events because of work, but I do miss a lot. As foster parents, there will be times when you miss things, too. We are in the people business and people are not 8-5! They’re 24/7!
Child Welfare workers are required to have at least 40 hours of training per year. Most training lasts two days and requires overnight stays. So if your worker doesn’t call you back by the next day, please remember, they may not be there! (Did you know that you can call my supervisor or the county director when I’m not in? Just call the local office and ask to speak with one of them.)
As foster parents you have the ability to help BRIDGE the gap for children. As much as I would like to be available all the time for all parents and children, that is just not possible. I can’t be with a child all day everyday. You can! I don’t see everything that a child is going through, you do. Without foster parents, I couldn’t do my job. Foster Parents are vital to the work of child welfare.
Thank you for all you do.