Becoming a foster parent is a challenging but rewarding experience for parents and the child in foster care. By welcoming a child in foster care into your home, you are tasked with raising a child as well as providing a nurturing environment for them to grow in. So, how do you know if becoming a foster parent is right for you?

If you are considering becoming a foster parent, ask yourselves these questions:

Do I want to take care of a child?

This may seem like an obvious question, but you really need to determine if you want to become a foster parent.

When you decide to foster, you are welcoming a child, potentially a child who comes from a traumatic situation, into your life with the intention of providing a temporary, loving home.

What are your motivations to do that? If you wish to genuinely help a child through foster care, great! You are ready to be a foster parent.

But if you are considering becoming a foster parent because you think there might be additional benefits such as money or attention, then you may need to reconsider — and maybe come back when you are ready to care for a child.

That being said, it is okay to not be quite sure if you are ready. This is an important decision for both you and a potential child in foster care. KidLink Community Services is here to make the process easier and ease your mind so that you can be ready and prepared to become the best foster parent you can be.

Can I provide a nurturing environment?

Another fairly obvious question, but a child in foster care needs to be provided a nurturing environment in order to see positive growth.

Nurturing has a wide definition. That could be a traditional two parent home, a single parent, a same-sex couple or any number of situations. A child in foster care needs stability and love, and as long as you can provide those two things — and a roof of your heads — then you are ready to become a foster parent.

Also, it is important to remember that nurturing does not mean that there can be no discipline or that everything has to be perfect all the time. You just need to be understanding of where the child is coming from and be prepared to find alternative punishments and solutions — especially for children in foster care who come from traumatic situations.

Contact Us

The easiest way to find out if becoming a foster parent is right for you is to contact us. We want to place children in foster care into a loving home just like yours, and we would love to ease your concerns.

KidLink Community Services provides therapeutic services to youth in foster care, foster parents and biological families throughout Tennessee. If you are interested in learning more or starting the journey to becoming a foster parent, please contact us at 877-714-1313 or filling out a contact form.

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