You’ve heard it. You’ve thought it.
“I could never be a foster parent! It’s too hard to love a child and then see them go back home.”
“Foster parents do it for the money”
“You must be a saint to be a foster parent!”
We’ve taken a lot of phone calls from people all over the state of Utah, who have thought about foster parenting, but aren’t sure if they want to make the leap. We’ve sat with them in their homes, going through what they can expect in the process, and the questions they should ask themselves about whether they are truly “ready.” Our trainers have spent thousands of hours, helping families understand what those troubling behaviors in a child who has been traumatized really mean. And we’ve listened to our foster families, who gather to support one another and gain strength.
You DON’T have to be a saint to be a foster parent.
You CAN foster a child in your home and give them a piece of your heart when they reunite with their biological family, knowing that the time you devoted to them is never wasted.
Foster parents are NOT in it for the money. In fact, most foster parents end up spending over and above what they are reimbursed by the state.
The truth is that most families tell us that foster parenting is both the most challenging and rewarding work they have ever done. They tell us that they feel they are having an impact on generations of Utah children and their communities at large. They tell us that if they had never picked up the phone to call Utah Foster Care, or filled out our online form, they would have missed out on a life-changing experience. For them. And for the children they have known.
