How do you become a foster parent in AZ? Becoming a temporary caregiver to a child in foster care who is unable to stay with their biological parents in Arizona is straightforward.
Before you start the process, you must be at least 21 years old.
At this age, you have the maturity and life experience to provide care and guidance to a child facing abuse, family instability, or abandonment.
Here are the steps to becoming a foster parent from theArizona Friends of Foster Children.
Do the Paperwork
Like any official process, becoming a foster parent in Arizona begins with submitting all necessary paperwork. You will complete and submit an application with basic details like name, address, and contacts at the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
After you complete the form, the child safety agency will need essential documents to verify your identity and background. These documents include a valid government-issued ID, a birth certificate, and proof of income.
Pass a Criminal Background Check
Many children enter foster care due to abuse, neglect, or other forms of harm within their biological families. For this reason, child welfare agencies do all they can to ensure that the kids don’t face similar trauma while in foster care.
For this reason, these agencies will run a background check to ascertain if you can provide the safety required in foster care. Typically, when checking your criminal background, child welfare agencies verify whether you’ve been involved in criminal activities that may pose risks to a kid’s well-being.
Complete a Home Study
A child welfare agency will schedule a home study to evaluate if your living space is suitable to accommodate a child who needs foster care. During the study, social workers will conduct interviews with all household members to assess their readiness for the foster care role.
Apart from the interview, the social workers will assess if your home is safe. In particular, the social workers will check if you have mechanisms to lock medications and poisons, a first aid kit, smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers.
Pass a Physical and Emotional Wellness Exam
As part of the process to become a foster parent, child welfare agencies might require physical and emotional wellness exams. A physical exam helps identify underlying health concerns that may affect your ability to parent effectively.
On the contrary, an emotional wellness exam evaluates your mental readiness to handle the challenges of foster care. These exams ensure that you are healthy enough to nurture a kid who is healing from past trauma.
Attend Training
After fulfilling all requirements for becoming a foster parent, you will undergo training at Foster Parent College. The training program covers essential topics like trauma, court processes, the roles of a foster parent, and parenting techniques.
The training, which is partly online and in person, spans approximately five weeks. It equips you with the knowledge you need to provide quality care to children in foster care easily.
In addition to foster care training, you will undertake first aid and CPR training. The first aid training ensures that you are able to respond to accidents and other medical crises that may arise while caring for a child in foster care.
You Don’t Need to be a Foster Parent to Help Children
Sometimes, you may not qualify to become a foster parent. You may be under 21 years old, need more financial stability, or need more living space. Whatever the reason, you can still show some love to a kid in need.
One way to support vulnerable kids is to donate to the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation. Your donation will fund a range of initiatives, including educational scholarships, extracurricular activities, and basic needs assistance.
Give your donation to support a kid in foster care, orcontact us for more information on how you can help children in foster care in Arizona today.
Image Credit: SewCreamStudio / Shutterstock