Foster Parents

MO is one of the lowest paying states for foster care. Trust me, they are probably spending more out of pocket than they are making. I was a social worker in foster care for years. They DON'T do it for the $$.

I don't see how anyone can really be in it for the money. To begin with a person has to have extra room. There are laws about how many kids can be in a room, what type of beds can be used etc. I've never had the money to have a house with extra space. Even now that my own daughters have been moving out, my mother moved in and we finally have just one room that's extra and it was filled up with stuff just weeks after the last girl left!

There really is NOT a lot of money involved. It's not enough money to pay for all the things these kids need. Anyone that says it's enough to do it for the wrong reason is either rather ignorant or they just don't understand all it takes to keep a home running smoothly. I've known a lot of foster parents. None of them were wealthy by any means.

ON TOP OF THAT.. Even if I was able to find a place for all the junk we have in that one room, the income from foster care would never replace or even come close to what I earn as a daycare provider and as a provider I never earn enough to pay me for all I do. Who says a foster parent has the duty to take a vow of poverty?!

I find comments like this to be very offensive and I'll bet a lot of foster parents do too.

Suzi

I have several friends who are foster parents, none of whom do it for the money!!! It takes a VERY special person to take a child, sometimes in the middle of the night, without even a change of clothes, and give it a home, and love, and sometimes have to send it back to the same place it came from. It takes a lot of love to parent any child, and many of the foster children are troubled children who need special care. I don't think there is enough money out there to make a person without the love for a child take on this responsibility. Sorry, I disagree with your friend.

From the DFS website. Notice number nine, 48.00 a day, that would be 1424.00 a month.

Standard Payment Rate for Foster Family Alternative Care Type of Expenditure Age Limitation Amount Payable
1. Maintenance (includes room and board, clothing and incidentals) 0-5 years $282.00 6-12 years $335.00 13 and over $372.00

2. Infant Allowance 0-2 years $50.00
3. Annual Clothing Allowance 0-5 years $150.00 6-12 years $200.00 13 and over $250.00

4. Special Medical Expense all ages MO HealthNet or Contract Rate
5. Special Non-medical Expense all ages
6. Children's Treatment all ages Contract Unit Rate
7. Residential Treatment (includes Room and Board) all ages Contract Unit Rate
8. Behavioral/Medical Foster Care Incentive Payment (BFC) all ages $732, and $100 Incentive Payment (BFC)
9. Career Foster Care all ages $48.00 per day
10. Career Foster Parent Respite Care all ages $40.00 per day
11. Career Foster Parent Availability/Transitional Services all ages $21.00 per day for up to 90 days
12. Professional Parenting Payment (for all ages $100.00 per month Traditional, Medical and Behavioral Foster Care) all ages $100.00 per month

Yes, people get money for fostering. A lot of times they go to the wrong people. I know someone who fostered a child where being there was probably as abusive as where they were taken from.

There are plenty of people who do it for the right reasons though, but there are some that dont.

I don't know exactly, but I DOUBT it covers all of the child's expenses. I think it's just meant to be a supplement.

Well, I am a foster parent and I know many who do it for the money. The amount depends on what agency they are with. In Kansas, foster care is privatized so many agencies handle it for the state. I am with KVC and the amount is based on many factors. There are five levels on which you can be paid. My foster children have the lowest rate since they don't have many issues. I am paid $19.00 a day per child tax free. The highest rate is paid for children with severe disablities, as high as $45.00 a day. As long as they children are well cared for, you can't always judge those who do it to supplement their incomes. Many of those kids are treated better than your neighborhood kids.

Hope that helps,
D.

They do get some money, but I don't know if it's a lot. You can visit www.kcsl.org to get more info - if you want to become a foster parent.

I'd be very careful at having foster kids around little children like yours. I've been around quite a few and personally I wouldn't do it. Most of these kids are angry at thier situations and they need lots of attention and love.

We get about $590 a month for my foster son, which is not quite enough to cover his expenses. I suppose you could theoretically make money off of the foster care system, but in my opinion the only way to do that is by neglecting the child. I don't think you can really provide for a child's needs for less than the amount we receive per month. I hope that information is helpful.

My MIL is a foster parent, the amount they get depends partially on the needs of the child, the more attention the child needs the more money they get. Right now she has a ten year old girl and gets $300 a month for her. That money must pay for everything except her medical. My MIL must provide all her clothing, toys, money for school events/projects, and anything else her "daughter" might need. My MIL is a good foster parent but definetly doesn't make any money off of it.

Why does it matter to you how much money the lady makes off of fostering children, or whether she is doing it just for the money or really is doing it for the kids? Does it give you grounds to judge her if she is doing it just for the money? If she was truly just doing it for the money then she probably wouldn't be doing it at all (though it varies from state-to-state how much, and can be a pretty substantial amount) because it is very hard work. There truly has to be some element of doing it for the kids. But, if it doesn't affect you and the children are well provided for and are not being hurt in any way, I think you need to just let it go.

Every State is a little different but I believe they get around $600. a month. They also get vouchers for clothes. Most foster parents do it because they love and care about the kids but I have heard of some who do seem to do it for the money. I think they need to be screened much better. Also I think if someone knows a foster parent is in it just for the money they should be reported.