The purpose of this hub is to help individuals and families make an informed decision about becoming foster families, adoptive families, or foster/adoptive families. Deciding to foster parent, or choosing to adopt foster kids from within the system, can be overwhelming, but you will not be making the decision on your own. This important decision is made with a licensed child welfare agency and is based on your willingness and capability to take on the responsibilities and develop the skills needed to adopt and/or foster. Foster and adoptive families who make good decisions and grow in their new roles work best with birth families, the agency, and others. These partnerships help foster children and youth have permanence and stability within a family.

As successful foster parents and/or adoptive parents you must be able to:

1. Assess your own family. Know your individual strengths and needs, and understand the strengths and needs of your family; meet the needs and build on the strengths.
2. Communicate effectively. Develop and utilize communication skills needed to adopt or foster.
3. Know the children. Identify the needs and strengths of youth and children who have been neglected, abused, emotionally maltreated and/or abandoned.
   
4. Meet needs and build strengths. Meet the needs and build on the strengths of youth and children who are placed with you.
5. Work in partnership. Develop partnerships between you and children, the agency, birth families, and the community to create and carry out permanency plans.
6. Be attachment and loss experts. Help youth and children develop skills to manage attachment and loss issues.
7. Manage behaviors. Assist children and youth in the management of behaviors.
8. Create connections. Help youth and children keep and develop relationships that maintain connections to their pasts.
9. Build and maintain self-esteem. Help youth and children build on positive family and positive self-concept, racial and cultural identity.
10. Ensure safety and health. Provide a safe and healthy environment for youth and children to keep them safe from harm.
11. Assess impact. Assess the changes fostering and/or adopting will make on your life and the lives of your family members.
    
12. Make an informed decision. Make an informed decision to foster or adopt.