Regardless, the number of children in Los Angeles County without a stable home is staggering. The care program serves nearly 30,000 teens in Los Angeles County alone, and many of those teens face incredible challenges in getting the education and care they need to avoid the threat of persistent poverty, teen pregnancy, and abuse. There are many ways caring adults can do their part to help a child in need of loving care, including adoption, legal guardianship or foster care. In the following, we compare legal guardianship and foster care. To become a foster parent, you must be approved by a California court to provide ongoing care to a child, and your home must be licensed or certified by the state as an eligible foster home. A social worker will place a foster child in a foster family that they believe is in the best interests of the child, but the agency handling the child`s case retains custody of the child while the foster parent provides daily physical care. n. a child without parental support and care who is placed with a person or family to be taken into care, usually by local social services or by court order. Foster parents do not have custody or adoption, but they are expected to treat the child in foster care as they would in terms of food, shelter, clothing and education.
Most foster parents are paid by the local government or a state agency. A foster parent is an adult authorized by the state to care for a foster child. Most foster parents provide temporary care after a child has been removed from their home to commit abuse, neglect or inability of their parents or guardians to provide appropriate care. Children in foster care are most often reunited with their parents or guardians once these underlying issues have been resolved, or find permanent placement with family members or non-relatives who previously knew the child. However, some foster parents adopt their children into foster care, which legally makes the child part of the adoptive family while severing their legal ties with the biological family. While a foster parent cares for the child, they are responsible for the child`s food, housing, and grooming, but receives funds from the state agency to pay for these costs. The parent also has the right to make ordinary decisions about the child`s welfare, but does not have full custody to make decisions on certain matters, such as the medical care the child should receive or consent to important life decisions such as marriage. In such cases, foster care would guide these decisions and, in all cases, the agency remains involved throughout the care relationship. In addition to providing food, shelter and care to a child, a guardian also exercises the same rights over a child`s life as a legal parent.
The guardian decides on the type of medical care the child should receive and decides on his or her educational needs. A guardian may also move to another location with a child (provided notice is given) and may leave the state with the court`s permission. A guardian can also give the child consent to obtain a driver`s license, join the armed forces, or get married, among other important life decisions. A guardian, on the other hand, does not become the legal parent of the child in the long term, as would be the case with adoption, but assumes more responsibility for a child than in a foster relationship. A guardian is appointed directly by a court to care for a long-term child, but the biological parent may return to the table at a later date to resume the parent-child relationship (which should not be the case in an adoption scenario). Depending on the situation, funds are available for adults who choose to become guardians of a child – and it is possible for a foster parent to become guardian of a child – but it is highly recommended that you work with an adoption lawyer to secure the necessary funding before taking steps to become a child`s legal guardian. Foster parents must meet several conditions to be admitted. For example, a person in North Dakota must be at least 21 years old, financially stable enough to support themselves and their family, and have their own home – rented or purchased – that provides enough space for a foster child. Prospective foster parents must undergo a criminal background check, provide personal references, and complete all necessary training related to the care of a foster child. Foster parents must also be willing to work with child protection workers and other providers.
In addition, foster parents are asked to be aware that foster care may be temporary. As such, foster parents must try not to denigrate the biological parents of their adopted child. [Last updated August 2021 by Wex Definitions Team].