When you become a foster parent, or are looking into foster parenting, one of the first things you may wonder is what are foster parents not allowed to do.
Below I will cover the main points about What are foster parents not allowed to do:
Altering the Child’s Appearance
You may not pierce the ears, cut their hair or alter the physical appearance of a foster child without permission, as things like this can potentially impact the identity of the child.
Share Their Faces on Social Media
You cannot share their faces on social media, you may notice other foster parents put emojis over the faces of their foster children and this is why. This is to ensure the safety of the child, if their real parents are potentially abusive you may give away their location by posting with them.
Use Unapproved Babysitters
This one is a big no-no and the main point in what are foster parents not allowed to do, as it impacts the safety of the child. You must use approved babysitters for daycare, although for evening babysitting you are allowed to use reasonable judgement for an adult to babysit your foster child for up to 24 hours. If the babysitting is required for over 24 hours, you must get permission.
Refuse Vaccinations
If you are anti-vax and don’t believe in vaccinations, you cannot refuse the foster child a vaccination regardless of your views. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is on the matter, if you go against this then a judge will be made to rule against you.
Leave Them at Home Without Supervision
It goes without saying in the list of what foster parents are not allowed to do, that you cannot leave your foster children at home without supervision if they are under 12, if the child is over 12 you can do so for brief periods.
If you are going to be out for a long period of time, you must be able to let them get into the house via a safe method.
Change Their Name
Another one that goes without saying, you cannot change the foster childs name, first or last even if they become a permanent addition to the family. For those of you itching to help change the identities of some of the children, consider nicknames.
Allow Them To Partake In Certain Activities
You need to consult the fostering agency or state if you wish your foster child to take up things such as sports, this is because they may not be able to continue the activity in the future when they leave your home. You will need permission from the biological parents or state authorities before you can give them access to partake in sports and similar activities.
There are still plenty of things you can do that don’t feature in my list about what are foster parents not allowed to do, here are some activities that I’ve written about from personal experience.
Conclusion
To conclude my post about what are foster parents not allowed to do, foster parenting has a lot of hoops to jump through with unique sets of rules that you have to work with, whilst also putting all of your effort into maximising quality time you have with your foster child.
These rules are safeguards to stop danger coming to your foster child, but don’t be put off by the amount of rules there are, foster parenting is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. Have a look at some of the reasons why it is so rewarding here.
If you want to start your fostering journey, have a look here.
For more parenting resources, check out our friend Belle’s blog at bellecarney.com
Thank you so much for reading my post about what are foster parents not allowed to do, I hope you enjoyed the post and if you want to see some other parenting content have a look across my blog for hints & tips for all occasions!
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