Foster care with RN license in AZ- looking for advice!

dsb_fam · Nov 2, 2012

Hi Joveta, I have been a 'medical' foster home for over 5 years. My three youngest were medically fragile infants placed in my home, which we adopted. It has been a roller-coaster of a ride, but worth every tear and heartache. I was licensed through Arizona Childrens and we had over 15 children through my home, most stayed for quite a while. We mainly received very sick or injured babies.

Guinevere39 · Dec 9, 2012

What a wonderful thing to do! Our state is in desperate need of homes. I would contact one of the licensing agencies or the Arizona Children's Association. Their KARE Centers mostly help family members become guardians, but they also have info on becoming a licensed home. If you're in Tucson, Casa de los Ninos would be a good starting point as well.

Joveta · Dec 18, 2012

Thanks for the information.

SL2014 · Jan 7, 2013

Hello, There are a few ways to become a foster parent. Call the Phoenix CPS office to find out how. There are a few ways, you can be licensed or unaffiliated, difference usually is the pay. There are a lot of hoops to go through and remembering that most of these children have court proceedings to attend, so time off from work might be necessary. I would just advise you to be cautious because it is certainly not as easy as some people think. Foster care is not adoption where the children are always young and the parents are no longer involved. Unfortunately the most foster homes are needed for the older age group, but this is likely the age with a lot of behavioral issues. In most cases the parents are still involved and can be... Difficult to say the least. Its incredible to think about but a lot of the 10-11 year olds in foster care aren't children, many of them act like (usually reckless) adults. They have the potential of doing the same amount of harm as letting a full grown adult with behavioral issues into your home, just because they are young does not make them safe. That being said, difficulty aside- all of that struggle and most will turn out to be much like their own families- but if ONE becomes a productive, positive member of society... It's a job well done.