Having a special needs child comes with an extreme level of responsibility, and oftentimes, more expenses. So, what do you do when you have to go to work and need someone to care for your child? I struggled with this for about two years before I couldn't financially stay home with my son any longer. I spent a lot of time looking for information about finding the right child care center for my son and what I could do to prepare him for the transition from home to the center. On this blog you will find tips that can help the process go much smoother for you and your child.
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If you are considering becoming a certified foster parent, then your state might encourage you to follow a dual licensing path. What is a dual license and why should you apply for one?
What Is A Dual Foster-To-Adopt License?
In the past, people who wanted to foster or adopt children had to go through two licensing or certification processes. You either followed a fostering or adoption path.
Now, many states are adopting a dual-licensing system. Here, your application takes you through similar checks, training, and home study stages. However, once your application is approved, you are licensed or certified to foster or adopt. You qualify to do either or both.
Why Choose Dual Licensing?
If you plan to foster a child before ultimately adopting them, then a dual license is an obvious choice. Rather than going through two application and training processes, you bundle everything into one application. You learn everything you need to know to become a foster and adoptive parent.
After you've fostered for a while and get to the stage where you want to start the adoption process, you are already where you need to be. You don't have to go through another application and background check process. You don't need to spend weeks training again. You already qualify to adopt, so you simply need to start the ball rolling when you're ready to formalize your relationship with your foster child.
This speeds up the adoption process. If you foster an older child, then dual-licensing also gives them peace of mind. They might feel more settled if they know that you don't just want to adopt them down the line but already have official approval to do so.
A dual license is also useful even if you won't use both childcare routes. For example, you might only want to foster or adopt. While you might never need the other part of your license or certification, the experience you get during the application process will still be useful.
For example, dual training can be more comprehensive. The skills and lessons you learn will be broader — you'll learn two sets of parenting skills that could help you in both paths. For example, your fostering training could help you integrate an adoptive family into your home environment faster. Or, your adoption training could help you prepare foster children for future moves.
To find out more, contact state agencies and ask if they operate a dual adoption and foster parent licensing system.
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