Ok...taking into account that I am based in the UK, so policies may be slightly different!
Here you are thoroughly assessed. They complete something known as a form F which basically looks at every aspect of your life. They don't mind about bad stuff happening in your past but they do care about how you managed it and dealt with it. They get health checks from your doctor, references from employers, family, etc. they do thorough police checks etc.
During the assessment process you express what age range/experience you have and what your interest might be (respite, short term, long term etc). Then the person completing the assessment will make a recommendation as to what age range/number of kids etc you can foster. You then go to a panel of people who have to approve you and the number of kids you can foster/type/age etc. Here there are different pay scales depending on age of kids and experience of carer/need of child etc.
You get basic training you have to complete, and are offered training as a carer. I would HIGHLY recommend looking into attachment theory as it is a corner stone of most of the work we do. Here you are allocated your own social worker to support you (I work with the kids, all carers have their own worker who I liaise with).
You can always change your preference, but it has to be approved at the panel. Any decisions here are approved by the fostering panel. There aren't many people who foster to adopt that I know of, although I do know carers who have adopted their kids. It just doesn't happen all that much.
Depending on who you work for will determine your role and your expectations. Carers have very few rights, as they don't hold parental responsibility. Which can be very frustrating for some people. You can't make decisions for the child that a parent can make (or a corporate parent - government who has care of the child).
Private care agencies often offer a support package of therapeutic care and have psychologists/therapists etc attached who the child can access, and will support a carer with day to day life with children who have extra needs. But that is expensive and councils are poor!! So a child is lucky to get a private therapeutic placement. However, I think it is moving more into the private sector (in the uk) and there are less local authority carers.
Children move on when it is time to. They may return to parents, or reach independence. Foster placement can and do break down. More often than you might like to think. You want to love the kids, but they don't often appreciate it. The decision to move on will be decided by the social worker/courts and is usually done through meetings. Usually a plan is put into place to rehab the kid on to wherever they are going (for eg, I have kids in short term places whilst we are in court, then they move on to their long term placements or adoption.. You are an integral part of that move on).
You are expected to attend meetings, and share information, transport kids around, give up your time. Lots of carers work though, but you do have to find time for certain things!! You might have to do things you don't agree with too. You might find kids needing to come at very short notice, or moving on at very short notice. It's hard work!!!
Most kids in care do have contact with their birth families, and depending on r family it will determine how often, how it affects them and how involved you will be in it.... Sometimes parents can build up a great relationship with the carer. Most often they don't.... Or the kids wouldn't be in care. It can be one of the most difficult things to deal with, and honestly I think most kids have WAY too much contact with birth families.... It does not help them at all. But thats neither here nor there!
Errrrrrr...... It's a full time job!
