Personal Characteristics of Foster Families 622-05-30

(Revised 8/15/2010 ML #3224)

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Personal standards for foster parents:

  1. A criminal conviction shall not disqualify a potential foster parent unless the conviction is for a crime having a direct bearing on the capacity of the parent to provide foster care or the convicted person has a conviction or offense and is not sufficiently rehabilitated under  NDCC § 12.1-33-02.1. The Department shall determine the effect of a conviction or an offense.
  2. Evidence of an interest in and responsiveness to other people, particularly children.
  3. The capacity to give love, affection, and care to a child without expecting the child to return this love and affection.
  4. Proper consideration of their own children’s feelings and feelings of close relatives toward a foster child.
  5. Satisfactory and stable adult relationships, which include not only a satisfactory and meaningful marital relationship, if married, but supportive relationships with relatives and friends.
  6. Emotional stability, including a satisfactory manner of handling angry feelings, and ability to handle rejection by the foster parent.
  7. A person residing in the home, except a foster child or ward of the court, may not have a present condition of substance abuse, or emotional instability. No person may smoke, in the foster home, in circumstances which present a hazard to the health of a foster child. All foster parents should be aware of the potential hazards of smoking in the presence of children, particularly infants and children with respiratory or allergic sensitivity. If a condition of substance abuse or emotional instability occurs in a foster home at the time when a foster child is in long-term placement, every effort should be made to keep the placement intact if the resident of the foster home is seeking treatment for the problem. No further placements will be made until successful completion of the treatment has occurred. A resident of a foster home, who has a past condition of substance abuse or emotional instability, should have had no incidents of substance abuse or emotional instability for a period of at least twelve months prior to licensure. (NDAC 75-03-14-04)
  8. The ability to function adequately in their chosen life style; i.e. ability to enjoy and accept the responsibility of their job, their family life, their friends, and themselves.
  9. Has reputable character, values, and ethical standards conducive to the well-being of the children.
  10. Practical understanding of the developmental stages of children and their accompanying needs.  Flexibility in their expectation, attitudes, and behavior in relationship to meeting the individual needs of children.
  11. The maturity to exercise good judgment and appropriate use of authority, along with the qualities of vitality and flexibility which are necessary to care for children.
  12. An acceptance and resolution of any of their own negative childhood experiences.
  13. The capacity to absorb the presence of a foster child with all his/her needs without undue disruption of their own family life.
  14. Ability to accept a foster child’s relationship with his or her own parents, including neglectful and abusive parents. The ability to accept a foster child’s background without passing moral judgment on the child or the child’s family.
  15. The capacity to help prepare a child for return home, for adoptive placement, guardianship, or an alternate permanency arrangement, and the ability to cope with the departure of the foster child.
  16. A willingness to treat the child as a member of their own family, including for example, such things as family vacation.