General Question about fostering

ok, so i had to laugh out loud!!!!!! i have been a foster parent for 6 years and never once have i had an unexpected visit!! being a single mom who works 40 hours outside of the home and has 2 kids, my house always needs to be picked up!! i have had a surprise visit by one casa worker, but he was creepy anyway and he was removed from the case. he would show up after 6pm unannounced and the baby was always asleep. social workers have too much on thier plate to risk going out for a visit and not having anyone home, it would waste what little time they do have. i am sure if you had complaints against your home, surprise visits might happen, but i have a lot of friends who are foster parents and they have never had a surprise visit. good luck in your journey!! i have two of the most wonderful kids because of fostering! :flower: :cheer: :clap:

*whew* So glad my inquiry was well received. You don't know how long I have hesitated to post that question. I feel like it is expected that foster parents be perfect in every way and that is my weakness right now I am afraid. Toys-R-Us-Everywhere. :p It's not just toys,.....my son likes to play in the dog bowls and often there is dog kibble on the floor or water from their bowl or,...get this,.....dog food in the water bowl. :eek: That would look real nice to a social worker, I'm sure. He also likes to rip paper and bits of paper can be found in odd places etc. I'm sure anyone with toddlers can relate but not sure how it would look to a social worker. HaHaHa!!! Of course the house would be spic and span for a homestudy, but within .5 hour of them leaving? :o I would appreciate hearing other folks' experiences as well. Again, if I can lay this fear to rest I think we are ready to get started soon.

Steph, something that worked for me when I had a condition that prevented me from bending over to pick things up was one of those monster snow shovels. I used it to "scoop" up the toys and whatnot then put them on the kitchen table, so I could do what I needed to do with them. Just a hint :)

Hmmmmm,.....interesting. Thanks for the hint. I honestly never thought of that but it sounds doable. Is "doable" a word? *snicker*

Ours never do 'surprise' visits, heck they rarely come at all. But I do have one, that likes to come 1/2 + hour before he is schduled. I believe he thinks that since I am self employed its not a big deal. But it irks me and messes up my work, so now I just schedule him later LOL Diane

We have never had unexpected visits. My house hasn't been in the best of clean when we have had visits and nothing has ever been said. Foster parents, yet any parents, are very busy and no one should expect their house to be spotless all the time.:p Things happen