Fostering a Family Member's Children

When a family member calls and ask you to take their children into your home to keep them from being placed into State Foster Care it is hard to say NO, because it is blood kin and you do not want to see the children placed with strangers, who might abuse them sexually, physically and or mentally. Remember before saying yes you will be responsible for the children in many different ways: 

1) Emotionally: comfort them let them know you are there for them. Also, You will have to set guidelines or house rules for children that may never have had any and were allowed to do pretty much as they please. 

2) Financially: you will be responsible for all doctor visits, school lunches which cost around $2.40 per meal, do the math on this for 1 child: $2.40 multiplied by 5 days equal $12.00 per week, multiplied by 4 weeks equal $48.00 per month, this amount is for one child for one month only. Now if you have more than one child multiply $48 times the number of children there are, also cost of school clothes and supplies, after school activities (ball games, dances) not to mention time away from work for the doctor appointments 

3) Physically: see to their well-being, a home, food, clothing, and medications. You the fostering family takes these children in to your home and gives them love, attention and guidance they so desperately need. Without financial help or child support from the parents who are financially responsible for them. You are doing your absolute best. According the parent (the one the Department of Children and Family were taking custody of the children from) not all you do is enough, they want the children to do as they did at home, which was nothing or run wild.