Do you think when people ask about $ for Foster Kids...?

Question

..that's what they really care about?

For example, all these postings that ask "How much do I get for a foster kid in California" or How much do I get for a kid with behavioral problems" etc...

....that all they care about is the money?

Cause IMHO that would be the LAST question I would ask if I really wanted to help a foster kids...because truth is that $$ that the state pays is NOT ENOUGH to care for a child. That $$ won't cover "extras" such as birthday celebrations, christmas gifts, scouts, sports, music, prom, etc...

Without those "extras" being a kid sucks.

And there is nothing worse than a kid having to hear "You can't get those sneakers because your check is not here or your clothing allowance doesn't give us enough."

Answer 1

We didn't know about the subsidies you can get when adopting through the state until after we started the process.  (I know it's not the same as fostering, but since we're adopting through foster care, I thought my answer might be relevant.)  We also didn't know about the tax credit.  That was never the point.  However, with the economy the way it is, with the special needs our kids will probably have, and because we're far from rich (we're probably considered lower class, or barely in the middle class bracket), we will be asking about the subsidies and such, just to make sure that we have the ability to access all the services our kids will need throughout their childhoods.  We would make do either way.  But in these times (and it's hitting us pretty hard right about now), we need to make sure we can provide for our kids, even if we're in the crapper financially.  It doesn't matter what kind of firestorm is going on in our bank accounts...it's nice to know our kids will always have access to the resources they need.

Answer 2

I've noticed that a lot of people that don't know much about being a foster parent think that you get paid to be a foster parent- meaning it is your job, and the money is meant to be part of the foster parents income. A friend of mine who foster-adopted her son said that in their first foster parent training class, one of the couples seemed very suprised that the assistance money was only supose to be spent on the child, and they never returned for the rest of the classes.

I would hope that most of the people who have this misunderstanding choose not to become foster parents once they find out, however I would guess that their are unfortunetly some families who take advantageof the system and the children they are supose to be protecting.

Answer 3

Well, I would LIKE to think that the question is asked because prospective foster parents are concerned about having the financial resources necessary to meet the needs of the foster children (read: counseling and mental health support, assistance with medical expenses for children with significant health issues, funding for tutoring or other out-of-school education support to assist children struggling in school).  I think these are valid questions.  

But I don't know if this is the reasoning behind those questions.



I agree, whatever stipend given by the state comes nowhere near the $$ required to actually raise a child, let alone provide the activities and experiences that help enrich that child's life.

Answer 4

Honestly, yes I do beleive some foster parents get into it for those reasons, or worse. That is just wrong.

I am a foster parent myself, and my husband and I take on the responsibility of our foster children as well as our biological children with the full intent to care for them finacially without state support.

For my foster kids, I have taken the money from the state, and put it into a bank account for the kids, or bought savings bonds for them. As they moved on to either rejoin their family or have reached adulthood, this money has been with them in college funds and what not. I have only had one foster child rejoin their family before adulthood, perhaps because that one child was 7 at the time and all the rest I have cared for are teenagers. The teenagers have still lived with me and consider me a large part of their lives while in college.

I think that treating a foster child like a burden is just terrible! It is a large responsbility that one should not enter into unless they are fully capable to, without state aid.

Answer 5

It really is a sad situation. The foster home on the corner in my neighborhood is a business, the wife of the guy that runs it said so. So these kids that are leaving a bad situation find themselves in another bad situation. And the adults don't care enough to help raise productive members of society. I'm not saying all foster homes do this, but the ones that do really put a bad rep out there for the good ones.

Answer 6

Yes, in some cases, I do believe that people are doing it for the money. Fortunately, that's not always the case. The foster home my son was in for the first two years of his life was wonderful. The house was neat and clean but not in a great area and wasn't at all fancy. The kids had a yard with rabbits in it and horses nearby that they could pet. There weren't a lot of toys but each child had a few of his or her own things to play with and they were always included in family celebrations (the foster parents were actually grandparents to their bio children's kids and they had birthday parties, etc. for their bio family). My son had very nice clothes -- not Lacoste or Polo but I don't buy him that stuff either! -- and was always clean and happy when we went to visit him. I know that the foster mother's "job" was taking care of these children and that's how the family made some of their income, but the foster father also had a job and they really loved the kids in their care. They made an income from fostering, but they appeared to spend most of the money on the kids, not on fancy cars and home improvements.

Some of your questions and answers just break my heart. I think it sucks that you had such a lousy experience growing  up.  (((((Looney Tunes)))))

Answer 7

Unfortunately, I think the majority that ask that question probably do not have the child's best interest in mind.  There are some TERRIBLE stories of abuse on foster children (well a lot of children regardless but still...)

Actually people do get 'rich' off those checks...they absolutely do NOTHing for the kids in foster care, lock them up, starve them, beat them...I believe there are good foster parents out there but not enough of them to keep the foster care program legit.  They get free labor...or actually they (foster parents) get paid for free labor.

Don't believe me.  Go to this site & type in child abuse:   pysih.com

Answer 8

I don't know.  It could be that they are only in it for the money, or it could be that they truly need to find out in order to decide if they will be able to do it.  They may know they will spend more money than they will get, but they may just truly have only so much and need to find out if the money will be enough to allow them to be able to do it.

Answer 9

i think that is true in many cases.like most government services the failure  to succeed is a problem.the entire system reeks with neglect.fda.tax collectors.elected officials.law enforcement.fire dept.NO ONE IS WATCHING THE STORE.any thing goes.they have most people programed to mind there own business.or else.the results of all this is collapse.and they still[all officials]will manage to blame the people who are getting duped.greed is a monster thing.unchecked greed is disastrous.

Answer 10

It is so sad that some parents look at fostering and adoption that way, however, for some people who have the space, who have the love, and can give their undivided attention, money is an issue, and without the foster parenting checks, being a foster parent is impossible.  Maybe the kids don't get the sneakers that they want, but you can find a great pair of pre-owned ones on ebay for a fraction of the price (maybe someone bought some, and couldn't wear them for some reason).  The real shame is that we have to have a foster care system in the first place.

Answer 11

I guess people ask cuz they want to know what to expect.  It's a tough job to be a foster parent and the fact that the state doesn't give you enough money to cover the costs of the child is frustrating.  No one is gonna get rich off those checks, trust me.  I'm sure some people use it where it shouldn't be used, but the majority of us foster parents just need the money to help us raise these kids.

Answer 12

Unfortunatly some people do look to foster kids just to get the extra money they may get for doing it.  The money is only suppose to be used to support the foster kids but there are people out there that will use the money the way they want not caring if the foster kids get all they need.   The money is suppose to cover some on food and utitilties and clothing stuff like that (just like childsupport) but some people don't understand that at all.  The money coming in would be enough for clothing (like every 3 months) or a birthday celebration or christmas or whatever is needed for the child if the foster parents keep the money to use for that but many won't.

Answer 13

Exactly!  Our monthly stipened check barely covers food / clothes - much less anything else.  We aren't doing this for the money, in fact once the adoption goes thru, we are choosing not to accept the money anymore.  And I would never tell my child, no you can't have this or that because of the monthly stipened isn't here or isn't enough

Answer 14

My husband and I are foster parents.  When we first began fostering we had 3 children already, and we weren't sure that we were in a financial position to entirely support another child.  As such, we asked about a stipend to ASSIST with, not cover expenses.

You're right.  Our monthly stipend goes nowhere near covering the cost of each of our children.  And nor should it.  We have chosen to parent these children for however long it should take (we've adopted one of our children) and as such we should be responsible for them.  We are however, very thankful that the stipend does exist as it enabled us to foster, which we desperately wanted to do.

And any children in our care, should they be there for 2 years or 2 weeks, have toys, good clothes, celebrations and parties for birthdays, presents, sleepovers, etc.  There are no distinctions between our children, biological, fostered or adopted.

I think any foster parent who fosters to receive money should be behind bars.  It's disgusting to exploit the most vulnerable children in our society.

Answer 15

It does suck. My husband and I are hopefully adopting from foster care, my plan is to put half the money in a college fund and the other half for their expenses or to save for big expense. Like braces! :) We figure the baby will be ours (Hopefully! after adopting the baby is OURS) and we would pay for their expenses anyways! Foster parents arn't being paid to do a 'job' just given money to care for the kids.

Answer 16

Dear LT,

I agree that there are too many people who see fostering as a source of income. (IMO, this is utterly exploitive and irresponsible behavior.) I think all states should go to a debit card system (like many child support units have done) it allows the purchases to be recorded to show ehre the money is spent. That way, social services can keep track of whether or not the money is being spent on the children and can remove children from homes exploiting the system.

When I was a GAL I pulled three kids from homes that used them for extra money for themselves and not for the kids basic needs. I can't tell you how much of my OWN money I gave to these kids for the things you mentioned - I never kept track because it doesn't matter - smiles and happy memories are PRICELESS. I have bought prom dresses, helped pay for field trips (and chaperoned them), bought school supplies taken kids to the skating rink on a Saturday, etc. because as far as I was concerned, I too agreed to be "responsible" for these kids welfare and happiness. My friends and family still donate our time, resources, items and money to these kids whenever we can. Maybe that's why I'm still in touch with so many of them - they could tell I meant it - not just because of the money but because of my ACTIONS.

We also had an incident where six SWs and a supervisor were caught embezzling funds and gift cards ment for the kids in care. (They lost their jobs and got jail time - I love the Judges in my County!!) Why people do things like this is beyond me. IMO, kids are FAR more valuable than money and anyone who can't put them first has NO BUSINESS involving themselves with these children.

Answer 17

yes there are people who adopt and foster just for the money... and from what I have seen social services seems to like having them more then the regular joe who just wants to help a child have a home...

most of the kids getting above basic rate have a lot of needs... and honestly they are not met by someone who has 7 kids just like them packed into a town house... sitting home watching TV all day...

there are people who just want to adopt or foster to help the children... they seem to be run off...

Answer 18

During the orientation training my wife and I had to do we sat there over the 4 weekends and made a mental list of those in the group who we felt were "there for the money" and those who were not.  Thankfully the list of those "there for the money" was very short but we all know they exist.  I don't think we can ever get away from that.

Those of us who are not there for the money know that no matter what they give us it's never enough and we are more then willing to do what it takes to make sure the child is well cared for.

Answer 19

Sometimes, maybe.

But typicaly? probably not.

I haev wondered too, what kind of money a person gets on behalf of a child. The money isn't for ther FP its for the kid.

I would love to foster paret, but without enought resourses, there's no way. For instance right now I have a small 3 bedroom house. If I were to foster, I would need a larger house and things for what ever age group I will be fostering.

Just because someone can't afford to just take in children and cover theri neededs, don't mean that they on;ly do it for the money.

I could hope that if there is any "Extra" $ that it would go to the child.  

As far as a kid needing sneakers.... I went years without a new pair of shoe when I was a kid. It was beause beer was more important.

When someone asks a Q there's no reason to assume anything about them unless the state that they are in it for just the money.

If I could....... I would be a foster parent full time. maybe 4-5 kids. I would enjoy it. But I woldn't be able to still work 40 hours and my husband isn't about to stay home with any more kids than we have now.

And I wold never do it just for the money. Really the money just makes it possible.

Answer 20

EXACTLY! That's why I didn't get to live a good childhood. I never got to really participate in extracurricular activities, like the other kids.

Answer 21

Could it be that they are asking to see if they are able to financially cover what is not paid for by the state?  Not everyone has buckets of money, and that little support from the state might make it possible for a foster child to be in a loving home.

Answer 22

some foster parents do think that. but people do really care to help. unfortunately mine were the kind who wanted money.