Buffalo County Wisconsin Foster Care

11/20/2023

Please take the time to read this story.

Wisconsin foster care needs more foster parents. Help kids feel loved, keep siblings together, care for a teen or young child. (800) 799-0450 Learn how to qualify and apply today.

10/10/2023

The Reality of Foster Care is a short video explaining more in-depth about Foster Care. I encourage you to take the time to watch this video. It does not only talk about through the eyes of the foster child but, it also talks about why Foster Care is so short on Foster Parents.
Thank you for your time.
-Kelsi

Learn what it means to live the "Hard-knock Life". Every foster child has their own unique story. The lack of foster families is having a devastating effect ...

10/09/2023

Please reach out with any questions or concerns you may have about becoming a foster parent.

-Kelsi Black
[email protected]
608-685-6308

09/27/2023

Please take a minute to read The Starfish Story. It is short but it packs a powerful message.

09/19/2023

Final day of: 10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Becoming a Foster Parent:
9. If you are married make sure you maintain a date night and if you are single make sure you take personal nights. This is where your tribe is so important. This whole foster parent thing is emotionally taxing and can leave you with something called secondary trauma. Self-care is an integral part of not burning out. If you’re married, then the stress and strain can affect your marriage and it is very important to take time away from the kids to decompress and enjoy each other. If you’re single it is imperative to take time away by yourself or with friends so you don’t get lost in your children’s’ problems. There is no one at home to share the load so it can be easier for you to burn out. Take care of yourself.

10.You can do this, but it is okay to admit it when you can’t anymore. It seems overwhelming, terrifying, and awful to think that foster parents are even a needed thing. It seems even more overwhelming to know you signed up to do it. I’m done for now. We’ve adopted 5 kids and I’m feeling a little worn out from the problems we face on a daily basis. We won’t be fostering anytime again soon. It has taken me a good long while to acknowledge that and feel okay with it.

09/18/2023

Day 4 of 10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Becoming a Foster Parent:

7. It’s okay to say no to a placement. The first time I had to do this it tore me up profoundly, but I knew it was the right thing for our family. I’m a people-pleaser at heart so not saying yes to someone I respect was not a good time but know that it is okay to do so.

8. C.P.S. is not always forthcoming with information. I know, this should have been obvious. But I was floored the first time I realized that my caseworker was withholding information from me. It’s for everyone’s protection sometimes, and sometimes it is just that shady things are happening. Just know that sometimes someone will tell you one thing while doing the opposite thing.

09/15/2023

Day 3 of 10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Becoming a Foster Parent:
5. However, do have the basics like kids toothpaste/snacks/easy kid food/kids soap. Walmart is not a picnic on the best of days and realizing at bedtime you can’t have your new child take a bath or brush their teeth is not a good time. The first days and maybe weeks will be very emotional and getting to the store can be hard. Keep a few backups of toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, hair brushes, dino chicken nuggets, carrot sticks, juice boxes, canned ravioli, fruit snacks etc. on hand. It can mean the difference between a really hard night and an easier one.

6.Even if you are an introvert surround yourself with people. Foster parenting can be very lonely. Have people that you can text and have them check in on you. You don’t think you’ll need other people until you’re crying for “no reason” in the produce section of Walmart.

09/14/2023

Day 2 of 10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Becoming a Foster Parent:

3. An 8-year-old may not look 8 years old if they have been in a high-stress environment their whole life. My 8-year-old was the size of a 4-year-old. He wore 4T clothes. It was disorienting. I kind of wish someone could have warned me. Maybe they did and I couldn’t hear them over my internal monologue of “I’m going to be The. Best. Foster mom. Ever.” Oh, how the proud fall. Anyway, expect kids to not be “the right size” when they come into care.

4. Along that same line, pick up clothes after your kid comes into your home. A dear friend who runs a volunteer foster closet brought 2 huge bags of clothes for a typically sized 8 and 9-year-old. The clothes were comically huge and she had to take them all back and start over. It works best to just see what the kids have when they come (maybe nothing) and get what they need after they are there.

09/13/2023

Over the next few days, I will be posting “10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Coming a Foster Parent” and will share two a day. Being a foster parent, I can relate on how it would have been nice to know some of these things prior to becoming a foster parent.

1. Go all in with love. It is way more important for a kid to know they are loved than it is for my heart to stay intact. When my kids first stepped through my door I didn’t know they would always be mine. For the first few months, I tried to straddle loving them and knowing they could leave any time by holding back a little. I should have been more lavish with my love. The next time we fostered I was pretty sure they were going to leave again pretty soon but I had learned my lesson by then. I poured out lavish attention and affection on those little ones. My heart still aches a year later since they’ve left but I know it was the right thing to love them extravagantly anyway. What if that’s the first and only time they were loved that much?

2. Have people ready to help at the drop of a hat. You have no idea how much can go sideways in the span of 5 minutes in foster care. Caseworker needs to visit right now and the toddlers just dumped out all the clean laundry and poured ketchup on it while she was calling to say she’s coming over? Baby is puking and you need to take the toddler to daycare and there’s a bio parent visit for the 5-year-old in an hour? This is where having your tribe around you is the most important. You need someone, a church group, a best friend, a neighbor that is ready to step in and help or you will burn out in a hot second.

Please reach out with any questions or if you would like more information. I would be happy to speak with you :).
Kelsi Black
Foster Care Coordinator
[email protected]
(608)-685-6308

08/11/2023

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

08/09/2023

FINANCES AS A FOSTER PARENT
Please read the following about Finances while you are a foster parent.

It is necessary that foster care applicants have sufficient income to meet the needs of their family. Foster parents do receive a monthly stipend for having a child in their home. However, DCF 56 requires that foster families have sufficient income to meet the needs of the child without relying on the foster care stipend. Prior to making the decision to become a foster parent, it is wise to consider the financial impact of having a child or children added to your home. Upon placement, you may need to purchase supplies and/or clothing that you did not already have in your home. Some of these costs may be reimbursed, however, you will need to have the financial ability to pay for them up front. Foster parenting will require extra time and added transportation costs. In your home, loads of laundry will be bigger, and grocery and clothing bills will increase. Having a new member in the household is a change for everyone. If you already have children of your own, they will get less of your time and attention and you will be spread a little thinner. The foster care rate was designed as a means to support the child in your home. It should cover all costs associated with the child and some reimbursement for your time, however, it is not a source of income.

Foster parents also receive an allowance for initial clothing purchases, however, after the initial allowance it is expected that foster children are clothed appropriately and in a similar fashion to other children in the home. Daycare assistance is available to foster families when child care will be needed for young children. Further, foster children are provided with medical and dental health coverage.

08/03/2023

WORKING WITH BUFFALO COUNTY AS FOSTER PARENTS

The Department of Human Services will do all that it can to be supportive of you as foster parents. Each child in care will have an assigned social worker that will monitor the progress of the child and help you deal with any problems that may arise. There are times that you and the social worker may disagree. Therefore, good communication is of vital importance. As foster parents, your opinion and your insight regarding the child is vital to the success of the case because you live with the child seven days a week. However, it is important that you understand that there are many legal guidelines that guide and direct social workers when a child is placed out of the home. These laws are known as Chapter 48 "The Children's Code" and/or Chapter 938 "The Juvenile Justice Code”. The agency will also have guidelines and policies that foster parents are expected to comply with.

Please contact: Kelsi Black Foster Care Coordinator for more information on becoming a foster parent.
[email protected]
608-685-6308