Myth-Busting Foster Care
For #FosterCareMonth, we sat down with Arianne Riebel, LMSW, LCPAA, our Manager of Adoption and Foster Care Programs. Arianne oversees the agency’s Foster Care and Special Needs Adoption Programs, in addition to its child-focused and family recruitment strategies. Arianne has 15 years of social work experience with 10 years of direct child placement experience. She holds a masters level license in social work and is a Licensed Child Placing Agency Administrator.
Arianne was able to clarify many misconceptions about foster care:
Myth: Many people believe they couldn’t be foster parents because they would get attached.
- Busted: Those are the exact type of foster parents we need. Parents who can love these children like their own, while their parents are able to get back on their feet or until they move into adoption. These children need a loving and stable home while they are in transition.
Myth: It is expensive to foster/adopt.
- Busted: There is actually no fee for foster care adoption. The only expenses the family would incur are those associated with bringing their home up to Minimum Standards. This would include purchasing fire extinguishers and other safety items for the home and getting the proper inspections done in order for it to become a licensed home. Additionally, Arms Wide Adoption Services offers all of its services at no cost to families.
Myth: I am too old to be a foster parent.
- Busted: As long as parents are able to take care of active children, we welcome them to become foster parents! (However, they must be at least 21 years old.)
Myth: There are too many rules when a family is providing foster care.
- Busted: While there are many “rules” called Minimum Standards, these are put in place by the state in order to protect families and children in foster care.
Myth: Children end up in foster care because they are juvenile delinquency.
- Busted: Typically, children are in foster care because their parents are not in a position to take care of them for a number of reasons. A child being in foster care has nothing to do with their own history, much less delinquency.
Myth: Single parents cannot adopt.
- Busted: In the United States and Texas, marital status or the existence of a spouse does not affect eligibility to adopt a child. Certain agencies will have policies prohibiting single parent adoptions, but Arms Wide Adoption Services is committed to ensuring all children in foster care find the right family for them – no matter the type or size.
Thanks for your insight, Arianne! We’re so lucky to have such knowledgeable staff members who are willing to walk our families through the foster care and adoption processes.