Working in Foster Care: Types, Salary and Benefits

What is it about working in foster care field that makes it so unique when there are so many different occupations you may pursue if you want to help people (careers like nursing, teaching, or possibly counseling)? Why should you select this profession over others?

In actuality, there are numerous benefits to working in foster care. It is one of the most gratifying job choices you might take, and the proper people will likely find it to be very enjoyable. Continue reading to learn more.

Are Foster Care Workers in Demand?

All types of social workers, particularly those with a focus on dealing with children in the foster care system, are in high demand and will continue to be so. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that through 2030, all categories of social workers would have a 12% increase in employment. Through the end of the decade, there will be around 78,300 new job openings for these individuals due to this faster-than-average pace of growth. Adoption counselor employment data is not tracked by the BLS.

Also Read: How to Become Fluent in Italian

Reasons for Working in Foster Care

These are five excellent justifications for picking a job in foster care:

1. You want to support families and children because you care about their well-being. You realize that if you don’t reach out, who else will if you want to have a positive influence on kids and your community?
2. It’s like getting paid twice if you get compensated to help people improve their lives. You gain much more than a paycheck when you work meaningfully and passionately. Additionally, you’ll be developing a strong sense of self and gaining the respect and admiration of your coworkers and the general public.
3. You take pleasure in a challenge. Few occupations provide as many chances to practice your connection, communication, and critical thinking abilities. The legal aspects of child protection, therapeutic choices, and educating parents and potential foster families are just a few of the many moving parts that need to be taken into account and balanced. Working effectively with a range of public welfare officials, service providers, educational systems, and police officers constitutes a significant portion of the job. To assist the children and families under your care, you will build and maintain a large professional network while working in foster care.
4. You are need to the field. Foster care offers a variety of job options, from social work to management. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16% increase in employment for all social workers between 2016 and 2026, which is substantially faster than the average for all occupations. It is anticipated that the number of child, family, and school social workers will increase by 14% during that time.
5. You enjoy making investments in long-term objectives. Children require security, a plan for their long-term care, and a sense of continuity in their life. Through your dedication to your education and to your community, you may assist them in achieving this.

Types of Foster Care Career

There are numerous ways to assist young people in need. Some people choose to adopt foster children, opening their hearts and homes to them. Others opt to make helping children in the foster care system their life’s job.

Given the variety of positions available, there are numerous ways to respond to the topic of how to work in foster care. The following are three of these possibilities:

1. Social Work Case Manager specializing in foster care.
2. Social Worker with experience dealing with foster kids
3. Adoption Counselor, also referred to as an adoption Coordinator

A social Work Case Manager or aide supports and helps social workers in their work. Case managers, like social workers, can specialize in working with particular populations, such kids in the foster care system. In significant part, case managers serve as coordinators.

In other words, a case manager may review and appraise the requirements of foster families and foster children. They can then develop a care plan and decide which services, including counseling, their clients might require. Then, to carry out the care plan, case managers coordinate the provision of services by other experts, such as social workers.

A foster care case manager’s typical tasks may include the following:

• Examine the records of new clients and locate foster homes for these kids, including urgent foster homes.
• Participate in hearings, consult with any biological parents, and organize services provided to biological parents, such as drug testing or treatment
• Create foster child care plans and refer foster children to social workers and other experts to receive the assistance they require.
• To facilitate supervised visits between biological parents and their children, to assess their progress.
• For foster children whose biological parents are unable to make sufficient progress to resume guardianship, they may consider long-term guardianship options or adoption.
• Working with children who may be housed in residential treatment facilities due to behavioral or mental health issues

Social Workers: Like case managers, social workers are qualified professionals who may choose to work with a particular population, such as foster children. Both a case manager and a social worker may assist their clients in finding necessary community resources, therefore their roles may occasionally overlap. The social worker can offer some services, such as mental health therapy, unlike the case manager, though.

Any of the following jobs could be performed by a social worker with experience dealing with foster children and their adoptive and biological families:

• Care plans are created after evaluating the circumstances, needs, and strengths of foster children, foster families, and biological families.
• Foster children should receive counseling and coping skills instruction to enable them to overcome problems, such as mental health issues.
• Ensure that foster children and their foster families are receiving all the help they require by checking in with them frequently.
• Teach biological parents how to be good parents in order to reunite children with them as much as possible.
• Evaluate and report on the kids’ safety and well-being when they’re in foster care or with their real parents.

Adoption Counselor: Choosing to work as an adoption coordinator or counselor is a third way to answer the question of how to work in the foster care system. An adoption counselor concentrates solely on the adoption component of the foster care system, as you might anticipate.

An adoption counselor works with adoptive parents (including foster parents who want to adopt their foster children), adoptive children who are getting ready to be adopted, adoption agencies, and biological expectant parents who are looking for adoption for their pregnant children. People who are afraid to become a case manager or social worker because they are concerned about the emotional stress associated with those occupations may find that pursuing a career as an adoption counselor is a perfect choice. As an adoption counselor, you’ll aid in putting kids and parents in the best possible situations to create a loving family.

An adoption counselor may complete any of the following tasks on any given day:

• Work with foster children by assessing their emotional health, educating them about adoption, defending their rights, and figuring out whether prospective adoptive family are a good match for the kids.
• To establish whether applicants for adoption are suitable to be adoptive parents, evaluate them.
• Work with prospective adoptive parents to walk them through the adoption process and get them ready to handle parenthood’s duties
• Assist expectant parents in learning about the adoption procedure and in locating a suitable adoptive family.

Working in Foster Care: A Guide to Getting a Job

The career path for how to work in foster care is heavily influenced by the profession you pick and the state’s licensing requirements. Let’s first examine the case manager’s profession.

Most employers need social work case managers to have a bachelor’s degree in the field. Although it is not a necessity, some firms prefer to hire job applicants with master’s degrees. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) offers a voluntary certification in case management, however it is not typically required for case managers.

Both an undergraduate social work degree and a Master of Social Work (MSW) are required for those who want to become social workers. The professional must next apply for a license from the state where they intend to practice.

As they might differ greatly from one state to the next, the qualifications for an aspiring adoption counselor are less clear-cut. It is best to find out whether your state requires adoption coordinators or counselors to earn a license before you start your post-secondary study. If so, you must make sure that your educational programs satisfy the requirements for eventual licensure.

A future adoption counselor should aim to have a Bachelor of Science in Social Work at the very least. A master’s degree may or may not be required of you as well.

At the entry level, practical work experience can be beneficial for all three of these career paths. As practical, on-the-job experience offers a valuable introduction to this field of work, students are strongly urged to look for internship opportunities linked to their area of study.

Earn your Undergraduate Degree in Social Work

Any foster care vocation you want to pursue will require you to plan on obtaining a bachelor’s degree in social work. Look for a program that has a curriculum that complies with the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) requirements. From one school to the next, the precise curriculum and tasks will differ, but generally, you can anticipate to study subjects like the following:

• The organization and job functions of human service organizations, as well as the provision of services to different populations
• Diversity, social justice, cultural competence, and advocacy in the field of social work
• Public policy, social health, and civil rights in Social Work

Case management abilities, including methods for evaluating clients, approaches to fixing issues, and tracking progress
Students must enroll in practicum courses as a requirement of CSWE. These entail placing students with authorized community service providers for supervised, practical learning opportunities. You’ll have the chance to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom to actual circumstances.

Students who study social work can gain from making appropriate optional course selections. To improve communication with clients whose first language isn’t English, you could wish to enroll in Spanish or another foreign language classes. Pre-law courses are another alternative, as social workers are required to have a thorough knowledge of applicable family and child protection legal requirements.

Earn a Social Work Master’s Degree.

It’s possible that you’ll need to go graduate school after receiving your bachelor’s degree to earn your Master of Social Work. Normally, two years of full-time study are needed to earn an MSW. It can take you longer to finish school if you intend to work while you’re enrolled.

You may anticipate delving deeply into cutting-edge social work issues during your MSW degree, including the following:

• Methods and history of social work
• Methodologies for social work research
  Social work theories, possibly concentrating on particular populations like families or foster children
• Environment and health
• Public policy, social justice, and the advocate function of the social worker.

Acquire a State License

Check your state’s eligibility requirements if obtaining a license is a requirement for your desired job in social work. In general, you should anticipate needing documentation of your academic accomplishments, such as official transcripts from your undergraduate and graduate degrees. In order to conduct a background check, you can anticipate being asked to present a fingerprint card.

You can receive an invitation to schedule an exam after submitting an application with the relevant materials and the required payment. Before you may get your license, you must pass the state licensing exam. You should right now examine your state’s regulations for license renewal.

Also Read: How to Conduct a Focus Group Discussion Effectively

Frequently Asked Questions

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES:

• Ideal STEM Extracurricular Activities for High Schools
• How to Become a Country Singer: Career Facts
• What is the Dental Admission Test (DAT)?
• How to Become an Arborist (Salary, Skills and Jobs)
• Script vs Screenplay: Meaning, Differences & Format