We have just passed the two-month mark of being Kinship caregivers to L, E and N. Some tips and pointers to the powers-that-be involved in this are in order:
1. When you place 3 children in one home, please don't put the same deadlines on the kinship/foster family as you do when you place one child in a home. There are 3 times as many hoops to jump through! Guess what? That takes a little longer!
2. When there are court-ordered visits, don't alter the schedule due to the demands of the parties involved. That's not fair to us, and probably not legal.
3. When you make a promise of aid, please follow through.
4. Return phone calls from kinship/foster families. We aren't calling to chat. We need something.
5. Don't make demands with less than 24 hour notice. There are work schedules, school schedules, daycare arrangements, etc that need to be worked out.
6. Don't demand that paperwork be accomplished, signed, etc just for the sake of the paperwork being done. Try to remember what the paperwork represents: healthy and safe environments for everyone involved. A signature doesn't prove didly-squat.
OK! Got those off my chest! Now where is the pen to sign that document????
1 comment:
This, sadly, is why more families do not agree to foster in Allegheny County (and probably other counties as well, because the system is a mess everywhere). Those kids are darn lucky to have you and Jon. I'll be praying for all of you!
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