Financial Assistance for Foster Parents – Becoming foster parents can offer a wonderful experience in your life. You can do good deeds and grow as a person at the same time. However, many people who are thinking about becoming foster parents don’t have the necessary money to properly give the child proper care. Therefore, the government offers monthly stipends or grants for foster parents that can be used to support the well-being of the child.
The money for the stipend is taken from the tax, and they are distributed by the State government to these foster parents. The amount received by each parent may differ depending on several factors, including the family income, the child’s age, and the child’s medical condition. The money received may be used for covering the needs of the child, including but not limited to books, toys, activities, food, room, etc. Foster parents working outside of the house may also use the money for the child’s care costs. In addition to that, the money for foster parents can also be used to fund several school-related events such as summer camps, recreation, sports, etc.
Financial Assistance for Foster Parents Program
There are other supporting programs available for foster children, including the Women, Infants and Children program that provides basic needs for infants (diapers, baby food, milk formula). The financial aid for foster parents is not supposed to cover the medical expenses because there’s already the Medicare program from the government. As you know, children under 18 years of age are covered under this program.
What’s more, it seems that some people have a misconception about this stipend. The financial aid is NOT a way to add some cash to the foster parents’ wallet. There have been some cases where the foster parents used the money for their personal purposes that have no relation whatsoever with the need of the child. Remember: It’s not a salary!
A recent study done by the Children’s Rights organization revealed that the money given by the government is still insufficient to provide the full cost of child fostering. It would take about one third of improvement in the amount of money received so that our government can really ensure the well being of the child.
Bottom line is, the money is made available for the child only. This means that if you buy the child something such as the bed, the bed’s ownership falls to the child. The money that the government gives is purely aimed towards the child, so it’s not a salary for the foster parent.
Additional supplements are given for foster parents whose foster children have a physical, mental, emotional or developmental need for monthly counseling. That said, this money won’t be given directly to the foster parents, but to the counseling office.
This foster parent system is not limited to the complete stranger to the child. In fact, it is recommended that close relatives such as grandparents be the foster parents to their grandchild. This can help the child to adapt better to the new environment.
Remember, the financial assistance for foster parents is not an additional pocket money source for the foster family. Abusing this can result in punishment under the law. If you can’t afford your family’s needs without the stipend or subsidy, then you are not qualified for the foster children program.
References:
- Financial help for Foster Parents
- Image: onehopeunited.org
