Question: What are the family requirements to foster? If you have small kids is it different? (Submitted by Amy Y.)
Whether you have small kids, big kids, grown kids, or no kids the requirements to foster are the same. You must be:
- At least 21 years of age
- Legal U.S. and Arizona Resident
- Single, married, divorced, or widowed
- Have a place to live – it doesn’t matter if you live in a house or an apartment or whether you rent or own
- Able to pass a fingerprint-based criminal history records check
Once you decide to start the journey to becoming a foster parent, the first step is Orientation and then picking an agency.
https://fosterarizona.org/foster-adopt/
The agency will take you through the state mandated training called PS-MAPP and your home study. They will help you prepare to take in a child or children depending on what is the best fit for your family.
The number one concern we hear with families that have small kids is whether or not they will be able to pick the age of the child placed in their home. As they are going through the licensing process, the foster parent will be asked to designate information on the type of child you would like placed in your home. This can be very specific and the foster parent can have the scope be as wide or as narrow as they feel appropriate for their family including age, gender, ethnicity, medical needs, etc.
One thing to keep in mind for families wanting to foster children under the age of 6 is that the state licensing board does require birth children to be current on immunizations. Families that choose alternative immunization schedules are free to foster children over the age of 6.
Thank you for your great question! If you have a question(s), send them to #youaskedfa or Kim@fosteraz.com
