Yes, you can!

You can make a difference in the life of a young man or young woman by simply opening your heart and your home to a child in need. You can be a foster parent.

• Placements will be program specific, allowing foster parents to become part of the continuum of care for each child. Foster parents will trained by Bashor staff in the specific nature of each child's issues and receive the ongoing support they need to help deal with those issues in an effective manner.
  
• Foster parents will have the opportunity to get to know the children while they are in residential care and vice versa. This "get to know you" approach allows the child and prospective foster parent to develop a relationship before placement. If either of them has a concern with the other, the staff will not put them together.
• Bashor support services will be open to the child and the foster parents on an ongoing basis. Treatment will continue. Groups will be open to children and families. Bashor staff will be on call to answer questions and provide support. The campus chaplain will be available for spiritual guidance. Respite care within the program may also be an option when it is needed.
  

Q: Do I have to have children of my own to become a foster parent?
A: No. Many foster parents do not have children of their own.

Q: Can older or retired people become foster parents?
A: There is no maximum age to be foster parents as long as they are in general good health and free from communicable disease as documented by their physician.

Q: Does each foster child have to have a separate bedroom?
A: The foster child must have his/her own bed. The bedroom must have at least 50 square feet of space for the child's belongings.

Q: If I am a foster parent, can I be employed outside the home?
A: Yes, as long as the foster parent is able to meet the needs of the foster child.

Q: Do foster parents get paid to foster children in their home?
A: Foster parents receive a $40 per day stipend which is a reimbursement to cover expenses.

Q: Will I be involved with the biological parents if I foster their child?
A: Foster parents may see and interact with the biological parents especially when they transport children for visits, therapy appointments, or at school. Some foster parents may supervise and arrange visits between the parents and the child.

Q: What type of training will I receive before becoming a foster parents?
A: All foster parents are provided 20 hours of initial training, plus 10 hours of training on therapeutic issues. On a yearly basis foster parents receive an additional 20 hours of training. This will be arranged by Bashor.

Q: What is the age and characteristics of the children in foster care through Bashor?
A: The age of children in foster care through Bashor Children's Home will range from 9 to 17 years of age. All of the children will have therapeutic issues which they are addressing. These issues vary based on the unit from where they come.

Q: What type of support will foster parents receive?
A: They will meet with their case manager on a weekly basis initially and then bi-weekly. In addition resources can be obtained 24 hours a day from the staff and supervisors at Bashor.

If you think you would like to reach out and help young people but do not think you qualify, you might be wrong. Single people can be foster parents. Some young people do better in a single-parent home. Childless couples can do it. Even people who have had their own life-challenging issues in the past might be better able to connect with some of the children entering the foster care program. Do not eliminate yourself! You end up excluding someone who might just be perfect.