Foster Parent FAQ’s
We have a critical need for foster parents in the State of Georgia. Here are some FAQ’s to help you determine if being a foster parent is right for you:
Q: To be a foster parent, do I need to be married?
A: No. Marriage is not a requirement. We have foster parents who are married, who are in a committed relationship, who are single, and who are a multi-generational family unit.
Q: Do I need to own my home?
A: No. Home ownership is not a requirement. You must have space in your home to receive a child. Foster children must have their own bedrooms that provide adequate living space for them. They cannot share a room unless it is with a same sex sibling.
Q: Aren’t foster kids bad kids that act out all the time?
A: No. Foster children have typically experienced various degrees of abuse and neglect. They have trauma from their past. They need someone who is loving and supportive to help them understand and resolve issues in their past. They may have some behavioral issues but they are not bad kids. They are good kids who have come from bad situations.
Q: I’m not sure I could give them back to their birth family after fostering them.
A: It is hard but hopefully, you will have established a relationship with the birth family and understand the birth family has made progress and is ready to have the children home. You can still have a relationship and be supportive of the family and children.
Q: I’m not sure I can afford to foster.
A: Foster children come with resources. The foster parent receives a monthly stipend to help with expenses. The children have medical and dental insurance that covers 100% of the need. Child care is also covered by DFCS.
Q: Is there a lot of training involved to become a foster parent?
A: Yes and no. The initial training requires 24 hours of IMPACT training for new foster parents along with CPR and First Aid and a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) class. Yearly, the training requirements are 6 hours every 3 months along with maintaining current certification in First Aid/CPR and TCI. We provide all the annual training free of charge one Saturday every 3 months with child care and lunch provided.
Interested in speaking to a member of our foster care staff?
Agnetta Delancy, Director
adelancy@murphyharpst.org
678-704-9291