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Ang Ang replied on Mel Montoya's thread "Can I become a foster parent if I've been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder?".
I have never had any mental health history or experiences.. but I feel I had gotten close to it with foster care. Remember you will have little humans with a lot of similar and/or different diagnosis.. PTSD, ADHD, RAD, ODD, Depression, Anxiety, in-utero drug/alcohol exposures, trauma, child abuse (physical, mental, sexual) survivors.... How would a child in the midst of their crisis affect your own mental health? For kids, they can cycle in and out multiple times a day, vs weeks or months like an adult. I say this with all due respect to you and your own well being. Are you open to other avenues where you can have a positive impact without absorbing the negatives that could affect you? My thoughts are volunteering with foster kid sibling camps, or foster mentoring. You would always be the positive to the child, their escape, and still be there to create happy memories for them. I have done this as well as fostering and adoption, and the mentoring was received so much better by the kids, and was really enjoyable for me.
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Ang Ang replied on Steven Fisher's thread "Starting out".
Hi Steven, Are you still pursuing fostering? I see the date was last summer. I am a foster mom of 6 years and adopted 2 children from foster care, ages 4 and 5 at the time of adoption. You will need far more than babysitters. Children from foster care have so many underlying issues, physical and mental, that need to be address -- during business hours. I ended up walking away from a 6 figure career in order to dedicate a full year to handle the ton of appointments... one year turned into two, two into three, now I have a big giant gap in my resume. So looking back, I definitely had my heart in the right place, but even with one kid (which I have had at times as well), honestly you would lose your job with the amount of help the kids need. And their needs are non-negotiable, you can't put off specialist visits or daily therapies if needed. Oh, you will request a kid without any of those things? None of them have those things... until after they come to you! If you eventually went to adoption, you need to be forewarned that some things emerge as children get older or hit puberty, such as genetic issues, mental health issues, conflicts about adoption. I am all for single parenthood, but I think this is one instance where you need a primary earner, someone at home, and someone to give that person at home some breaks! I tried to be all three, and it didn't work. Just food for thought. Definitely find single parents who are already doing this, check out their schedules and incomes, and see if you feel compatible with what they have going on. The ones I see who are making it in foster care, are not making it in other ways. Look for someone who is already at the 3+ year mark, so much learning as the time goes on!
Ang Ang replied on HopingForForever's thread "Why did your placement's relative(s) fail an ADOPTION home study?".
I had a discussion with a caseworker after one of my foster kids revealed sexual abuse. He said although she chose not to go to the police, the name would be on the registry and would prohibit the child from ever going to a placement where the abuser was residing (was older sister's boyfriend -- sister wanted to petition for the kids, but he was living with her). But the also added an uncle for taking the kids from another kinship home (don't pass around the kids, even within families, they will penalize you for it). So, my guess is that is a difficult list to argue with. I am in AZ and people can be added for simply having an investigation as well.