Foster2Forever

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What Are the Rules for Swimming With Foster Kids?

Swimming (and playing in the water) is the number one recreational activity in the summer!  However, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in five people who drown are children age 14 and under! [CDC]

A licensed foster home has rules and regulations to follow in regard to water safety for foster children.

These rules for foster families are actually practical water safety tips that ANY family with children should implement.

pool-rules-regulations-foster-children

Who has to abide by these water safety requirements for swimming pools & water bodies?

These requirements only apply to homes that are providing foster care services. This includes foster homes also approved as adoptive homes, but does not include adoptive homes only approved for adoption.

What are the general requirements for caregivers regarding water safety for foster children?

  • Caregivers must use prudent judgment and ensure children in your care are protected from unsupervised access to water such as a swimming pool, hot tub, fountain, pond, lake, creek, or other body of water.
  • If children are allowed to swim in a body of water such as a river, creek, pond, or lake, the supervising adult must clearly designate swimming areas.
  • Rules governing the activity and the dangers of the body of water must be explained to foster children in a manner that is clearly understood prior to their participation.

What are the child/adult ratios for swimming activities?

The maximum number of children one adult can supervise during swimming activities is based on the age of the youngest child in the group and is specified in the following chart:

If the age of the youngest child is…

Then you must have one adult to supervise every (number) child/ren in the group

Swimming

Child/Adult Ratio

 

0 to 23 months old

1

1:1

2 years old

2

2:1

3 years old

3

3:1

4 years old

4

4:1

5 years old or older

6

6:1
  • If four or more children are engaged in swimming activities, then there must be at least two adults to supervise the children.
  • A lifeguard who is supervising the area where the children are swimming may be counted in the child/adult ratio.
  • Children over the age of 12 years old who are proficient swimmers do not have to be included in the ratio.

Do all supervising adults have to know how to swim?

No. However, at least one adult counted in the swimming child/adult ratio must be able to swim, carry out a water rescue, and be prepared to do so in an emergency.

 

When must a child wear a life jacket?

A child must wear a life jacket when:

  • Participating in boating activities;
  • The child is in more than two feet of water and does not know how to swim; or
  • Ordered by a physician for a child with a medical problem or disability.

What are the general requirements for a swimming pool at a foster home?

  • The caregivers must inform children about house rules for use of the swimming pool and appropriate safety precautions. Adult supervision and monitoring of safety features must be adequate to protect children from unsupervised access to the pool.
  • At least two life-saving devices must be available, such as a reach pole, backboard, buoy, or a safety throw bag with a brightly colored buoyant rope or throw line. One additional life-saving device must be available for each 2,000 square feet of water surface, so a pool of 2,000 square feet would require three life saving devices.
  • Drain grates must be in place, in good repair, and capable of being removed only with tools.
  • Caregivers must be able to clearly see all parts of the swimming area when supervising activity.
  • The bottom of the pool must be visible at all times.
  • Pool covers must be completely removed prior to pool use.
  • An adult must be present who is able to immediately turn off the pump and filtering system when any child is in the pool.
  • Pool chemicals and pumps must be inaccessible to all children.
  • Machinery rooms must be locked to keep children out.

What are the requirements for accessibility and fences around swimming pools?

  • A fence or wall that is at least four feet high must enclose the pool area.
  • Fence gates leading to the outdoor pool area must be self-closing and self-latching.
  • Gates must be locked when the pool is not in use.
  • Keys to open the gate must not be accessible to children under the age of 16 years old.
  • Doors that lead from the home to the pool area must have a lock that only adults or children over 10 years old can reach. The lock must be completely out of the reach of children younger than 10 years old.
  • Furniture, equipment, or large materials must not be close enough to the pool area for a child to use them to scale the fence or release a lock.

Are the requirements different for aboveground pools?

 An aboveground pool must:

  • Be inaccessible to children under the age of 16 years old when it is not in use.
  • Meet the same requirements for swimming pools, but is not required to be fenced.

Does a backyard fence meet these requirements for inaccessibility?

A backyard fence may serve as the pool fence/wall if it meets all fence/wall and gate criteria above that requires that children may not have unsupervised access to the pool area. Therefore, if the backyard fence serves as the pool fence/wall, then children may not have unsupervised access to the backyard and doors leading to the back yard must comply with the requirements. However, if the entire backyard is serving as the pool area, children may not be in the backyard without direct caregiver supervision.

 

What are the safety requirements for a hot tub?

A hot tub must be:

  • Enclosed per the requirements above; or
  • Covered with a locking cover when not in use.

What are the safety requirements for wading pools?

Wading/splashing pools (less than two feet of water) must be:

  •  Stored out of children’s reach, when not in use;
  •  Drained at least daily; and
  •  Stored, so it does not hold water.

What if there is a body of water that is on or adjacent and accessible to a foster home?

You must document the following regarding a body of water that is on or adjacent and accessible to the premises of a foster home:

  • Type, location, and size of the body of water; and
  • Barriers between the foster home and the body of water.

Note: This list of water safety rules is for foster homes in the State of Texas. You can read more of the Texas regulations for foster homes or check with your state foster home licensing agency.

How do you keep your children safe around water?

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How Can You Say NO to Foster Kids?

Our two rambunctious preschool boys are a handful! The older, JD, being strong-willed and defiant, is not the best role model for our easy-going 3-year-old, Lil Bit.

Having our hands full with these two boys, my husband feels overwhelmed by infants and toddlers. Last summer, the placement of 3 more little ones in our home had us running ragged with FIVE kids aged 5 and under — (ages 5, 4, 3, almost 2, nearly 1). I was flabbergasted when a encountered my own Chick-Fil-A controversy when a {single} man lectured me for having too many children. After surviving that chaos, we changed the age limit of our foster home to ages 5 through 17. “No more babies” became my husband’s mantra. We have had no new placements since.

Early in May, we finally did receive a foster care placement call.

“I know your home is closed to infants; however, we have an 8-year-old little girl that needs a home. She has a 6-month-old baby brother.”

I was excited about the possibility of this foster care placement. Our 5-year-old, JD, could have an older sister to play with! However, after having 5 kids last summer, I knew my husband had to “bless” another foster care placement that included an infant.

“Hold on – let me get my husband on the other line,” I quickly responded.

To my surprise, my husband said yes.

We would have FOUR children to parent. The kids will outnumber us 2 to 1!!!

That evening, I asked my husband about his change of heart: “I could hear the desperation since there are no foster homes in our area that accept infants. I just felt called to be their foster parents.”

So we are now a family of SIX!!! I am so blessed to now be a stay-at-home mom! I honestly do not know how we could care for all these children if I were still working.

Now, my work is non-stop! Laundry, feedings, spit-up, diapers, referee…repeat. I am exhausted! And school hasn’t let out for summer yet!!!

The bickering between JD and his new sister, KK, is nonstop. (They are not allowed to play Wii together or it starts World War Wii!) Since I have been a mom to boys, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to deal with “little girl drama.” (my friends with daughters had warned me) I honestly believe dealing with “little boy energy” is easier.

The baby, Doodlebug, is a joy, but I had forgotten how tough infanthood is. And this baby spits up non-stop! He is the fifth infant I’ve cared for and I’ve never seen this much spit-up before. Even the incredible Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow bottles and Similac Spit-Up formula are not helping.

Another difficulty was that, at first, this baby would not go to sleep without a bottle in his mouth – and he would not take a pacifier – so frustrating, given his spit-up problem. I finally weaned him from this unhealthy habit which was torture for both of us. However, this sleeptime bottle weaning process has created an incredible bond between the two of us.

foster-care-placements

We don’t know what the future holds for our foster children, but we do know that we were called to be their foster parents, if only for a short time.

When have you said no to foster care placements?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

 

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Win a Copy of The Foster Parenting Toolbox

Parenting is so difficult, but being a foster parent has its own unique challenges. (see my video) Children from hard places come and go from your home. Each foster care placement situation is different, and whether a foster child reunites with birthparents or becomes available for adoption, foster parents continually need tools to parent children in their care.

Use The Foster Parenting Toolbox!
foster-parenting-toolbox-stories

More than 100 contributors have created this useful resource specifically for foster parents and the professionals who work with them: caseworkers, social workers, judges, CASAs, GALs and others who are a part of the foster child’s team. This book consists of 384 short articles and stories filled with lessons learned and inspiration, plus many pages of resources at the end.

Chapters include
• Why Foster?
• Perspectives
• Transitions
• Teamwork
• Birth Family Connections
• Loss, Grief, and Anger
• Attachment and Trust
• Trauma and Abuse
• Family Impact
• Discipline
• School Tools
• Parenting Teens
• Nurturing Identity
• Allegations
• Respite and Support
• Reunification, Adoption, and Beyond
• Resources, Recommended Readings and Index

One of the best features of this book is the Continuing Education Unit (CEU) quizzes at the back of the book. Each quiz covers a chapter in the book (16 quizzes) and, if your agency allows, you can receive credit for training. Sweet!!! Here are some other options for foster parent training.

This week, we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift card so that you can get your very own copy of The Foster Parenting Toolbox. All you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Free Online Foster Care Training

free-online-foster-care-training-texasNeed some online foster care training hours to keep up your license?

Traumatic childhood experiences, such as child abuse and neglect, can have long-term effects.  Foster parents must be able to address a foster child’s trauma as an important component of caring for the child.  Everyone involved with the children in the foster care system —  the children, the families, caregivers, and even the social workers who serve children and families within the child welfare system — all experience the impact of trauma.

Difficult Behaviors Training

Are you a foster parent struggling with difficult behaviors caused by trauma? Not sure how to handle defiance, tantrums, lying, stealing, food hoarding?  Foster parents will get practical tools in managing behaviors in this free online foster care training.

Adoption HEART Conference

This is an online conference for foster and adoptive parents with a focus on Healing Trauma And Responding to Trauma (HEART). The conference sessions are free to watch during the conference dates.

If you are a temporary parent to traumatized children, and are trying to provide stability and make a difference in children’s lives, if only for a short time. You are in the trenches of parenting trauma.  This event will help you in developing strategies to effectively parent through trauma!

Trauma-Informed Care Training

In Texas, each foster and adoptive parent must receive trauma-informed care training annually.  Each newly-verified foster parent or approved adoptive parent must receive trauma-informed care training within 60 days of foster home verification or adoptive home approval.

Foster parents can complete the free online Trauma-Informed Care Training on the State’s public website:

In order to receive credit for this 2-hour online training, foster or adoptive parents must:

  • Complete the entire training.
  • Make at least a 70% on the post-test.
  • Print (or screenshot) the Certificate of Completion of Trauma-Informed Care Training at the end of the training.
  • Provide a copy of the Certificate of Completion of Trauma-Informed Care Training to your caseworker.

To follow along with the training, licensed foster or adoptive parents can also download a copy of the training to use as a guide. (NOTE: The State of Texas administers this training – not Foster2Forever. Any issues you have with the training or training certificate must be resolved with the DFPS.)

Psychotropic Medications Training

Studies show that children in foster care are more than 13 times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications than the general population.  Texas regulations require that foster parents receive training before administering psychotropic medications to foster children.

Foster parents can take this free online foster care training for psychotropic medications to meet these requirements.

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Do Your Christmas Cards Include Your Foster Children?

Do you send Christmas cards? Many years I have and some years I havent’.  One year (while fostering Stinkpot), I actually sent out a newsletter – now that was work!! Now with Facebook, I think it’s becoming a bit old school to send out actual printed cards.

I sent out cards in 2007, a newsletter in 2008, nothing in 2009, a printed calendar in 2010.

However, last year I sent out this card after we adopted our foster son, Lil Bit!

This is the card I sent this year using photos from a summer photo session. I had the cards done in October!!!

We’ve never sent Christmas cards with our foster kids on them. It was just the timing of when the kids were in our home. Only Stinkpot & Lil Bit were the only foster children in our home during Christmas time.

Do you send Christmas cards? Are your foster children on them?

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Are You Ever Really Prepared to be a Foster Parent?

We had taken over 30 hours of training to become a foster parent!
We had a car seat and a crib – the items our caseworker required before opening our home to new placements!
For two years, I had successfully home schooled my teenage stepson with his ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.
I was ready for a child!!!
Or so I thought….

And then our first placement arrived!

foster-care-parenting-preparations

I learned just how clueless about parenting I really was!

; How clueless were you about parenting?

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My Foster Home Is Closed. Now What?

CLOSED

photo courtesy Ben Husmann

So much paperwork! All the regulations and policies for a licensed foster home can be overwhelming at times.

What happens if you can’t seem to get organized? {see my Pinterest board}

What happens if a caseworker decides to close your foster home?

Texas has an appeal process in place where a panel of other foster parents (your “peers”) can review the case.  My husband and I served on that panel recently for our Region. The panel reviews the 5-inch binder case file, interviews the foster parents, and then makes a recommendation that either agrees or disagrees with the State’s decision.

We were unaware of this process, which is rarely used. (This appeal process does not involve cases of foster home abuse or neglect – that is a court matter.)

7741 Peer Review Appeal Process for DFPS Verified Foster Parents

The purpose of a peer review appeal process is to review and make recommendations concerning decisions and actions taken on DFPS verified foster parents. This appeal procedure utilizes the expertise of our foster parents to review adverse actions and help DFPS staff evaluate if appropriate action was taken. These guidelines must be written and given to all DFPS verified foster parents.

Each region will establish a review team that will review and evaluate certain decisions and actions taken with DFPS verified foster parents. The review team makeup will include foster parents.

Each region shall decide when this review team will convene.  The review team will meet on a regular basis or as needed.

Each region that takes adverse action on DFPS verified foster parents that results in home closure must allow these families access to the peer review appeal process. Regions will also use this process when requested in reviewing the following circumstances:

•  removal of children from the foster home for reasons other than allegations of abuse and neglect or court ordered removals;

•  lowering capacity of placements;

•  foster parents placed on corrective action; and

•  staff conflicts with foster parents.

Foster parents that use the peer review appeal process must sign a release of information statement before any information is shared with their peers.

The complete foster home case record, including information in CAPS, will be available at the peer review appeal hearing. If pertinent or requested by the foster parent, each member of the review team will receive copies of the following information:

•  quarterly narratives over the last year (or more if pertinent);

•  all serious incident reports;

•  all developmental and corrective action plans;

•  commendations and any special recognition;

•  home study; and

•  the narratives that are not included in the quarterly narrative over the last year (or more if pertinent).

Once the peer review appeal team makes a recommendation to the CPS program administrator who will make the final decision and notify the foster parent and the peer review appeal team in writing.

Does your State have an appeal process for licensed foster homes that involves a “peer review”?

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My Chick-Fil-A Controversy for Having Too Many Kids

chick-fil-a-anti-gay-controversy-childrenI’m so sick of this Chick-Fil-A controversy! What happened to the right to free speech? ENOUGH already!

However, I recently had my own Chick-Fil-A  controversy.  As you know, I’m still adjusting to the dynamics and logistics of large family living and herding 5 children.

Last Saturday, after a quick visit with cousins out-of-town, I took all the kids to a Metroplex Chick-Fil-A before loading them back into the GMC Yukon for the ride home. My plan: play hard, then sleep hard on the ride home.

Five kids into a restaurant by myself? What the heck was I thinking? I’m no freaking SuperMom, for Pete’s sake!!!

kids-at-chick-fil-a-controversy

That being said, I thought I did fairly well ordering our meals, keeping Cupcake and Twinkie with me while the boys rushed off to play. I quickly found a table adjacent to the playroom, and set up camp. Sometime, in the midst of feeding the preschoolers and 10-month-old Cupcake, 4-year-old Donut announced that he needed to go to the bathroom. I mumbled “in a minute” as I was wondering how in the world I was going to manage taking this brood to the bathroom.

I looked up and saw that he had already darted across the restaurant and was going into the mens room. Well, “not a whole lot I can do now that he’s already made a run for it” was the thought that crossed my mind. So I watched the mens room door, and in hindsight, should have sent Stinkpot after him.

A couple minutes later, a man who had been sitting near the bathroom approached me. “Is that your little boy in the restroom? He’s needing help.”

I scooped up Cupcake, and went and opened the mens room door. Donut was in the stall with his pants at his ankles exasperated that he couldn’t find the toilet paper.  He obviously didn’t realize the large contraption in the stall is, in fact, toilet paper. I coached him through wiping, flushing, washing and drying his hands with the mens room door open while watching the other kids eat.

As Donut ran back to the table, the man spoke to me:

“I’m not one to tell other people how to parent, but you should never have your children any more than an arms length away from you at all times. You should be able to grab your kid in an instant.“

Dumbfounded, I replied, “Yeah,” and turned to go back to my table.

My response only irritated this man.

“Listen! I work in a penitentiary and there are some bad people out there! Bad people! That could do horrible things to your kids.“

Downtrodden by this single man’s judgment of me, my only reply was “I know” and I walked back to my table.

I knew he was right. I now have a large family for the time being, and I should have had a plan before I attempted to step foot into a restaurant with 5 little ones.

I also wish my reply would have been more like:

“I know all about bad people. Two of the kids’ dads are in prison and the other would be if he hadn’t be deported. If more people like you who know so much about parenting would open their homes to foster children, then I wouldn’t have 5 children in mine!“

How do you manage handling numerous children in public? What would have been your response to the single man?

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Shazam! We Have a Large Family! Now What?

having-large-family-life-blog
In an instant, with just one phone call, as is true foster family form,we went from a family of 4 to a family of 7!

In addition to our rambunctious 5-year-old RADish, Stinkpot, and our sweet 3-year-old, Lil Bit, we now have 3 additional little ones:

  • Finicky 4-year-old, Donut;
  • Energetic, sensory-seeking 21-month-old, Twinkie;
  • Precious 10-month-old, Cupcake.

Adding 3 children may not seem like much to Michelle Duggar, but to us, overwhelming! Especially, given we now have 5 kids age 5 and under!!!

Last week, I asked Facebook fans for tips to help us transition to large family life. Your tips are wonderful and I love all you had to say!

20 Tips for Large Family Life

  1. Work together better with your spouse as a team to get things done.
  2. Be very organized! Organization will save your life. If it doesn’t come naturally, find someone to help you get it going.
  3. Make lots of lists!
  4. Use a calendar  – Check out these tips to manage numerous foster care appointments
  5. Stick to a schedule! It makes life better for everyone. Having a routine everyday helps calm the kids and you too!
  6. Plan meals in advance.  (Ramon noodles make a great, quick and cheap lunch that feeds everyone.)
  7. Serving meals buffet-style if the kids are old enough to manage can be helpful.
  8. Shop in bulk.
  9. Lay out clothes the night before.
  10. Establish a bedtime routine, such as a warm deep bath before bedtime, turn off television, dim all lights and play soft music.
  11. Assigning chores to everyone and making it fun is a good idea–“lets see who can pick up the most toys in 5 minutes…GO!” Chores will make children more appreciate and learn to be productive adults.
  12. Do at least one load of laundry every day! One large family I know had a designated day for each child to do their own laundry – helps build personal responsibility.
  13. Count. Heads. Often!
  14. Make sure that the “well-behaved” kid doesn’t get ignored! We have had some that needed so much attention that we didn’t make as much time for the child who was self-sufficient, quiet and well-behaved.
  15. Watch Karyn Purvis videos often….”they help MORE THAN I CAN SAY. BUY THEM!”
  16. Be realistic with your expectations of the children and yourself.
  17. TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF!!! Even a brisk 15 minute walk is great to relieve stress. Check out this fabulous e-book on self-care for foster and adoptive families.
  18. Use Respite Care and take time away to recharge! Use sitters and friends. And if anyone offers help, take them up on it!
  19. Pray. Stop to make yourself have a moment in prayer also helps.
  20. Be okay with just getting through some days! That is, you say that in the beginning of going from zero kids, to one, to three – all in 6 weeks – Don’t feel guilty if a day isn’t full of educational, engaging, planned out loveliness. Sometimes things go sideways, plans don’t work out, babies are too tired/grumpy (and maybe mommas too…) – and that’s okay! Be forgiving of yourself. 🙂

 

I’m Clever

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