The specific objectives of Foster/Adopt STARS are to help prospective foster parents and adoptive parents:

• Discuss realistic expectations of themselves and the agency;
• Identify their strengths and needs in fostering or adopting;
• Develop a plan to build on strengths and meet needs;
• Make an informed decision about their willingness and ability to work together to connect children with safe and nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime;
• Learn the purpose and goals of the agency’s family foster care and adoption program, and its relationship to the other child welfare services;
• Learn about the selection process and the criteria for being licensed, certified or approved as a foster parent or adoptive parent;
• Learn the laws, regulations, policies and values that direct the agency’s child welfare program in general and the family foster care and adoption program specifically;
• Obtain realistic information about the needs, and strengths, of children and their families who voluntarily or involuntarily require family foster care and adoption services;
• Learn about the role of foster parents and adoptive parents as effective and essential members of a professional team, including expectations, responsibilities, such as implementing Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standards, rights, potential rewards and potential risks, such as abuse allegations;
• Learn the differences between foster parenting and adoptive parenting regarding attachment, commitment, relationship with the children’s families or origin, providing foster youth with age-and developmentally- appropriate activities, expectations, responsibilities, supports, lifelong impact;
• Learn the knowledge and practice the skills necessary to become a licensed, foster parent or adoptive parent;
• Learn about the diversity of families;
• Share similar and differing knowledge, ideas and values by participating in a group preparation program;
• Consider the impact of fostering or adopting on themselves, their children, and all aspects of their family life, including jobs, health and mental health, and financial resources;
• Experience the professional team as it operates within the agency, since the program should be conducted by experienced Children’s Service staff assisted by experienced foster parents and adoptive parents who can model team work;
• Learn about foster parent associations or adoptive parent support groups that can provide valuable information, friendship, peer support, and advocacy;
• Develop admiration and respect for the role of foster parents and adoptive parents in caring for vulnerable children; and, with the agency, mutually;
• Assess their willingness and ability to become:
  • A foster parent who can:
    • Protect and nurture children who have been physically abused, sexually abused, emotionally maltreated, abandoned, neglected and/or who have special medical needs;
    • Meet the developmental needs of these children and address their developmental delays;
    • Support the relationship between children and their parents, siblings and kin to the fullest possible extent;
    • Help connect children to safe and nurturing lifetime relationships, with reunification with parents or kin as the primary goal;
    • Work collaboratively with the agency as an effective and essential member of a professional team;
    • Apply Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standards in decision making for the foster youth’s participation in age- and developmentally- appropriate activities
  • Or, an adoptive parent who can:
    • Protect and nurture children who have been physically abused, sexually abused, emotionally maltreated, abandoned, neglected and/or who have special medical needs;
    • Meet the developmental needs of these children and address developmental delays;
    • Support the relationship between children and their parents, siblings and kin as appropriate;
    • Make an earnest commitment to provide a child with safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime; and
    • Work collaboratively with the agency as an effective and essential member of a professional team to adoption finalization.

Memoranda History:

CD07-48, CD16-65