Advertisements
Advertisements
Viewing Single Post
Thread: Jitters!
Sorry I'm coming to this a little bit late.
There is always a possibility that a child will have greater issues than you expect. However, you also took on a lot for a first placement. Three additional kids is very intense even if they don't have psychiatric issues. Add to that the oldest recently being hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, and you were set up for failure.
There are some things you can do to make things a bit easier on yourselves. First, if you don't already, clearly know and communicate your parameters. I will not take kids with a history of aggression toward animals or other children, and I won't take kids older than my son (I broke that rule once, and it didn't go well). Second, ask questions. The caseworkers may not always have the information, and they may not be totally honest if they do, but they are more likely to share information if you ask directly. For example: is a child on any medication, do they have any psychiatric diagnoses, do they have any history of aggression, etc. It might not be a bad idea to think about taking only one or two kids subsequently. Yes, they are always looking for families who will take larger sibling groups, but that doesn't mean it has to be you, at least at first. Easing yourself and your children into it may be easier than jumping in all the way.
That said, you probably will at some point end up taking a child who you can't manage. Be aware from the beginning of issues that come up that are dealbreakers and communicate clearly with the caseworker. You won't do yourself or a child any favors by taking or keeping them in your home when you aren't equipped to manage their needs; it's better the workers know as early as possible when things aren't working so that they can either get you the support you need or find a more appropriate placement.
1 Liked
 likes this.