You may have begun giving some thought to your ability to parent a child who is mentally or physically challenged during your GPS:MAPP preparation. Foster parents who have had some degree of experience in caring for this population of children will, of course, meet this challenge with a greater degree of comfort than others. Whether you are new to the experience or are a well-seasoned pro, the requirements for successfully parenting children with diagnosed “special needs” are pretty much the same. Children who are mentally/physically/medically challenged are “children” just the same. They must first and foremost be viewed and accepted as growing and developing human beings with their own unique range of strengths and needs.

Fostering a child who is mentally/physically/medically challenged requires certain specialized skills and abilities in addition to the twelve GPS:MAPP skills that were explored during your pre-service training. These may include:

• Your family’s ability to accept such a child. 
• Your family’s ability to assess it’s strengths and needs (recall GPS/DT:MAPP skills?) in light of the medical and/or maintenance needs of the child; your understanding of the adjustments that will have to be made in your family’s lifestyle or routine in order to accommodate the needs of the child; your family’s ability to advocate for the child. 
• Your family’s ability to discuss observations regarding the child’s medical and behavioral needs with the Case Manager, health professionals, the birth family, educational staff and others parties of interest. 
• Your family’s ability to understand and follow through on established plans and requirements for meeting the child’s day-to-day needs. 
• Your family’s ability to understand the child’s medical or emotional condition and treatment needs, and how these factors will impact the child’s growth and development. 
• Your family’s ability to maintain a home environment that accommodates the child’s special needs, including, availability of ongoing supervision by an appropriate adult, physical space, equipment needs, wheelchair accessibility, etc. It is important that the foster family is within reasonable proximity to medical and other resources, and maintains telephone services at all times. 
• Your family’s ability to be comfortable, yet realistic about the child’s strengths and needs; the ability to build on the child’s strengths and nurture his or her needs; the ability to bring as much “normalcy” to the child’s life as possible.
• Your family’s ability to develop and maintain a positive working relationship with a variety of community professionals who will be working closely with you in assessing and providing for the medical and educational needs of the child; your family’s ability to be innovative in accessing community support for the child in your care. (The case manager will also assist you in this area.) 
• Your family’s ability to manage the child’s behavioral needs in a manner that takes under consideration his or her level of development and level of functioning. Families must be willing to seek out and participate in support groups that relate to the child’s needs. 
• Your family’s ability to assist the child in understanding and accepting his disability. As foster parents, you must be comfortable with the child yet realistic. By facing limitations and problems realistically, you can better help the child to handle his or her feelings about being different yet feel lovable and worthwhile. The ability to build on the child’s strengths is of the utmost importance. 
• Your family’s ability to understand the changes that will occur in your lifestyle and the impact the placement will have on the family – individually and as a whole. Your family must realize its own limitations and, in doing so, must be willing to ask for help when needed. You must be an advocate for your own family as well as the child.

When asked to take a child who is mentally or physically challenged, find out as much as you can about the needs of the child and the resources that are available to you for support. Have a frank talk with the case manager regarding the agency’s expectations of you in caring for the child. Talk the situation over with your family and make an informed decision about providing care.

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