Foster Care FAQs
These are some of the most frequently asked questions people ask about foster care and being a foster family. COBYS Family Services is here to answer them.
Is It Your Time to Foster?
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If you’re considering becoming a foster family, request more information or sign up for a free Information Session with COBYS.
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If you can’t find the answer you need, or if you have a specific situation to discuss, please contact a COBYS resource home specialist.
What is a resource family?
“Resource family” is a term defined by and encompassing the different types of families that serve children in foster care. COBYS resource families fit into one or more of the following categories:
- Foster Families are committed to caring for and supporting children through reunification with their birth family or transitioning to a foster/adoptive family.
- Foster/Adoptive Families are committed to supporting children’s reunification with their birth family but are also open to the possibility of being an adoptive resource if it is needed.
- Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) Adoptive Families are committed to providing permanency to children through adoption for children who were not able to be safely reunified with their birth family.
- Kinship Families have previous connections (by being a relative or having a significant relationship) with children placed into foster care. Kinship families must meet the same standards for approval as any other resource family.
- Standby/Emergency Families are available for a week at a time for children being placed into foster care outside of regular business hours. Standby families accept any child referred to them during the week and provide between one and four nights of care for them.
- Respite Families care for foster and adopted children for a few hours, an overnight or weekend, or up to two weeks.
What types of foster and adoptive families are needed?
COBYS needs various types of families, including married or single people, families with or without biological children, and families with or without a stay-at-home caregiver. Our greatest need is for families willing to parent teens, sibling groups, minority children, and medically fragile children.
To allow children to remain in their home school districts, we need foster care and foster-to adopt families throughout Lancaster County and the surrounding area. The COBYS coverage area generally includes a one-hour driving-distance radius of our Main Office at 444 Murry Hill Circle, Lancaster, PA 17601, from southern Lancaster County into parts of Berks, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Dauphin, Cumberland, and York counties.
What is the possibility of a foster child being adopted?
All children adopted through COBYS’ SWAN (Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network) program begin as foster children. However, when children come into foster care, the goal is almost always reunification with their birth families. Children belong with their birth families when deemed safe and appropriate. In the case that children cannot return home to them, the courts will need to establish a permanent option and may first consider if the foster parents are an adoptive resource.
Outcomes reflect that between 20 and 25 percent of children that are placed with COBYS’ foster care program are adopted by their foster family. To learn more about adoption, please visit our Adoption and Adoption FAQs pages.
How long are most foster children in foster care?
Foster children generally remain in care between six months and three years. Birth families typically receive a minimum of 15 months to correct the issues that led to the child’s placement in foster care, and in many cases, reunification may take longer than 15 months. At any point, a foster child may transition to the care of an approved kinship resource to allow the child to reside with their family of origin.
How much will we interact with our foster child’s birth parents?
The most effective foster parents build positive relationships with their foster children’s birth parents and become a source of encouragement to them. Foster parents and birth parents can have regular contact with each other at visitation, medical appointments, and court hearings. If reunification is unable to occur and parental rights are terminated, court-ordered contact with birth family members typically ceases, unless otherwise decided by the foster/adoptive family and birth family.
What are my transportation responsibilities as a foster parent?
Foster parents are responsible for transporting children to all appointments, visits, and court hearings. Most foster children have court-ordered, supervised visits with birth family members at a minimum of once a week; however, multiple times a week is common to maintain that familial connection. Foster parents provide transportation to and from these visits.
What are my financial responsibilities as a foster parent?
For all children placed with COBYS, the foster family receives a per diem reimbursement for living expenses, which includes clothing and transportation. Medical, dental, prescription, and mental health care coverage for foster children is provided by the County Children and Youth Agency.
Foster families are responsible for any costs associated with their approval process, including background checks, furnishing their home to accommodate children, and any home improvements needed to meet home safety requirements.
Does COBYS provide support services for foster children and families?
Support services, such as therapy, for foster children is covered by their health insurance. The child’s caseworker will make referrals for the child to receive appropriate treatment and developmental services.
Caseworkers provide support to the foster family through monthly home visits and regular communication. COBYS also provides Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) trainings, master’s-level foster parent educators, resident children workshops, and ongoing “booster” trainings to increase knowledge and supports for foster parents.
What if a foster child doesn’t adjust well to our home?
To ensure there are as few moves in the child’s life as possible, COBYS regularly provides support services to help meet the needs of the foster child and foster family. If there is concern for the child’s safety, or the safety of the foster family, an alternative placement will be found.
As a Christian organization, what kind of expectations does COBYS place on its foster families?
COBYS desires that resource families seek to meet the physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs of foster children. Service through a servant spirit is why and how we do what we do. Full participation in the life of a church community is strongly encouraged but not required.
How much does it cost to adopt a child through COBYS?
Adoption of children in Pennsylvania’s foster care system is heavily subsidized to encourage timely permanency for them. In most cases, adoptions are finalized with little or no cost to the adoptive family. Most children are eligible to receive ongoing adoption assistance until age 18. Additionally, families who adopt through the SWAN program may be eligible for an adoption tax credit. Please visit our Adoption and Adoption FAQs pages to learn more about adoption.
If I decide I want to adopt my foster child, do I need to complete additional training?
COBYS’ pre-service training process prepares foster families to foster and adopt children. No separate training for adoption is necessary. To learn more about adoption, please visit our Adoption and Adoption FAQs pages.
