A foster family is a form of guardianship that is used to provide orphans or children temporarily deprived of parental care. Such situations occur, for example, in the case of the sudden death of a parent or guardian, litigation during a divorce, or close relatives being hospitalized for a long time. In the article, we will examine in more detail which children can be taken into patronage and how to arrange custody.
Legislative nuances
The social structure of children involved in the guardianship of the city in which the child is located. In shelters and orphanages, educators watch the kids. Before the child is placed in a family, special institutions are involved in his development.
Patronage differs from guardianship. Orphans without parental care are distributed in foster care until the final decision of their future fate. At the same time, the state allocates funds to ensure the life of the ward.
The health of the child does not matter for the patronage. The family of guardians undertakes to take care, feed, care for the small person. The law defines what a foster family is in the RF IC (Family Code of Russia).
The definition of “patronage” is often compared with patronage, but in the Law these concepts differ:
- Patronage is a paid form of guardianship in which the foster family performs the functions specified in the contract. The state institution and the life of the child are monitored by a state institution through regular inspections.
- Patronage is written in the Civil Code. It is installed over elderly people who need help in everyday life. The guardian in this case monitors the condition of the ward free of charge.
Benefits
Foster care is a form of guardianship that is established over a teenager of 14-18 years old or a partially incompetent person. A person under the age of 14 is called guardianship.
Let's take a closer look at the benefits of working with a social service:
- Helping a minor, the opportunity to contribute to the development of another person.
- The opportunity to attend free parenting lessons.
- The accrual of benefits, which is designed to raise a child.
- Formal employment, social guarantees.
- The opportunity to get free advice from a lawyer, child psychologist, teachers, social worker, pediatrician.
The distribution of the child in the foster family is a positive factor in the development of personality. The orphan also feels the benefit, which is expressed in the following:
- Living in a comfortable environment.
- Acquaintance with the device of another family, the relationships in it.
- The presence of people who will defend the interests of the child, take care of his health and a fulfilling life.
- Thanks to upbringing in the family, the child receives the necessary social skills for later life.
Patronage period
A foster family is a time limited custody of a child. She may be:
- Long lasting. In this case, the ward lives in the family until he is 18 years old.
- Short. It is appointed until such time as a child who has lost parents for some reason, does not return to his family, or social protection workers will not find permanent guardians.
- Partial. With this patronage, the child arrives in the family for the weekend, on holidays and on vacation. This is how the personality of a teenager is formed for entry into adulthood.
Which child will be given to foster care?
Custody is a form of device for children. Let's talk about whom they can give to foster care. Another similar form is guardianship.
If a child has problems with parents of a temporary or permanent nature, they can be sent to live in foster care. Situations in which a person becomes an orphan:
- parents are recognized dead or missing;
- relatives are being treated in a hospital or imprisoned and sent to prison;
- as a result of the trial, relatives were recognized as legally incompetent or deprived of parental rights;
- parents cannot provide for the needs of the child, so the child is uncomfortable in life (starving, freezing, not learning, and the like).
Before giving the child to a foster family, social workers check the new guardians and their ability to support another person. If the child was 10 years old at the time of making such a decision, then social protection representatives should ask his consent. If the baby has brothers and sisters, then such children are drawn up with him. Exceptions are possible only for medical reasons after passing the examination.
Parent Requirements
Foster and foster families are carefully selected before taking a child into the family. To do this, the following are conducted: an introductory conversation, a diagnosis of family life, consultations and support for the adoption of a child.
Social service authorities select parents who are adults and have no health problems. Special attention is also paid to moral qualities, views and principles.
The following categories of persons are not endowed with guardianship rights:
- people who do not own housing;
- biological parents;
- previously convicted people;
- persons who were previously deprived of parental rights and the opportunity to take the child under guardianship;
- former adoptive parents;
- disabled people or other citizens who have health problems;
- incapacitated persons.
How to apply for patronage?
A foster family is an opportunity for a child to obtain temporary housing until his further fate is determined. If people want to arrange this type of guardianship, then you need to contact the Board of Trustees, which is located in the district (city) administration, to find out about the requirements for educators.
Further, the family acts according to the algorithm:
- Writing a statement in the service of the patronage.
- Interviewing by all family members.
- Referral for a medical examination.
- Passing short-term training courses for teachers, which last no more than 80 hours.
- Passing checks by social service employees. At this stage, workers check housing conditions.
- Collection of necessary documents.
- Passing psychological testing. Based on the data received, the psychologist will advise which child to distribute to a particular family.
- Acquaintance with the pupil.
- Drawing up a contract with the social service of patronage.
If the parents do not comply with the terms of the contract and violate the rights of the child, then they are deprived of the opportunity to be educators.
Documentation
To take a child into a foster family, you need to collect a package of documents:
- Statement.
- Identification documents, as well as a certificate of income of family members.
- Marriage certificate, pension certificate.
- Certificate that the person is the owner of the living space, which meets the requirements and standards.
- Medical report on the health status of future carers.
- If adults live in the same apartment / house as the candidate, they must issue their consent to the appearance of the child and the status of the foster family.
- Certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the criminal record.
- The certificate that the candidate has passed training courses for educators.
Contract
When children are distributed in foster care, an agreement is drawn up with the trustees within ten days from the date of the adoption of a positive decision. Official paper is the main form of cooperation between citizens and social protection bodies, which stipulates the nuances of finding a minor in the family.
A standard contract contains information about:
- rights and obligations of educators;
- rights and obligations of the patronage service;
- amount of payments;
- validity period of the document;
- possibilities for termination of the contract;
- social guarantees.
The document is provided in duplicate. One is issued to the trustees, the second is left with the head of the foster service. If you need to make changes to the text of the document, a protocol is compiled separately and attached to the contract.
If several children are distributed in a family, then an agreement is concluded for each of them.
Adaptation of a foster child
A foster family is a form of custody of a child that also has problems. One of them is the adaptation of personality in new conditions. For it to be successful, a minor must make friends with carers and other cohabitants, and learn the rules of a new home.
In psychological practice, it is customary to distinguish three stages of adaptation:
- Post-term, up to 1 month. At this time, the child can behave differently: quietly hide or actively resist the new regime. If gradually the baby gets used to the situation and feels more confident, relaxed, then the adaptation is successful. Many children become isolated, afraid to ask questions - this is how fear manifests itself again to return to a dysfunctional family or shelter. The main task of educators is to show affection and make it clear to the child that they love and protect him. It’s not worth scolding, you need to explain your actions to the baby and show a positive attitude.
- Manifestation - the stage lasts 2-4 months. At this time, the child shows his negative sides and watches how the teachers react. Problems can appear in social life, learning, emotional instability. Perhaps in the family there will be scandals, lurking grievances. If the child is not used to, for example, cleaning his clothes and daily hygiene procedures, then such requirements can be perceived with aggression. It is recommended to consult a psychologist.
- After the child gets used to the caregivers, a period of loyalty begins. A minor person begins to feel necessary, dear and shows positive emotions to others.
Since the duration of adaptation varies for each child, you should talk about this with a child psychologist before taking a child into a foster family. The specialist will tell you what to expect and how to react to what is happening. Usually, educators are advised not to put pressure on the child, to listen to his opinion and needs, to talk more.