1. Make A Real Difference

Most people want to help make the world a better place. Maybe you write checks, volunteer at fundraisers, and donate to toy drives. These are all good things, but sometimes you might still be left feeling a little empty. You may wonder if you made a genuine difference in anyone’s life.

When you open your home to a child or teen in foster care, you’ll get a daily reminder that you’re making a difference. Every day, someone who may have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect will wake up in your safe and loving home instead of feeling forgotten or “lost in the system.”

One of the most significant foster parent benefits is that you can go to sleep at night knowing that — just down the hall — an innocent youth who has experienced challenges in life is sleeping soundly because of you.

2. Form Friendships In The Foster Parent Community

Foster parents everywhere rely on compassion and empathy from fellow foster parents. Whether you’re meeting for coffee or joining others at an organized support group, you will value the support and guidance that the foster parent network provides. Many foster parents say they have developed lifelong friends from the foster parent community.

UMFS knows that peer support isn’t just “nice to have” — it’s essential to your success as a foster parent and your well being. That’s why, within the UMFS community, you’ll find ample opportunities to meet, mingle, and network with other foster parents. 

We coordinate monthly support groups, provide connections to mentors and parent trainers, and offer numerous other opportunities to join with other foster parents to learn and grow in your journeys.

3. Build Skills With Specialized Training

The process of becoming a foster parent involves a lot more than just filling out paperwork and completing background checks. As a foster parent, you’ll engage in specialized training before a child or teen begins living with you, and you’ll continue doing so for as long as you’re a foster parent.

The knowledge and skills you learn during this training will benefit you as you raise both foster and biological children, interact with adults and youth in your community, and collaborate with teammates at work. The transferability of learned skills is practically endless.

For example, UMFS foster parents learn more than the nuts and bolts of the foster care system. You will learn about brain development, gain insight into parenting youth with traumatic backgrounds, and learn skills to help you cope. As a foster parent, you will also earn and maintain CPR certification, and develop skills in conflict management and communication.

Building and strengthening skills is one of the major foster parents benefits. The skills you learn mean you’ll become not only a better foster parent, but also a better spouse, friend, and citizen.

4. Be A Role Model

You might have already considered that you could be a good role model for your foster youth. But the benefits of this role extend a bit further. As a foster parent, you can be a role model for your foster and biological children, their friends, and your entire community.

Welcoming youth in the foster program into your home is a great opportunity to model the values of service, love, and compassion to biological children. Plus, you can show all the youth in your home that family isn’t about blood. Many develop such close bonds with their foster parents and siblings that it’s as if they’ve been together since the beginning.

When others see the good you’re doing, they might be motivated to give in a similar way. Your example could inspire them to donate to an organization that serves youth in foster care, volunteer with the program, or even become a foster parent themselves. Just think how much good you could inspire!

5. Receive Mentorship & Financial Support

Remember, as a foster parent, you’re not alone. Even after your initial training and preparation are over, you’ll benefit from several modes of support to help you in your new role.

UMFS, for example, provides 24/7 on-call support, mentoring, monthly support groups and parent trainers. Also, UMFS foster parents benefit from 12 hours of continuing education training per year. These opportunities will help you feel equipped with knowledge and supported by a strong community.

While monetary allowances shouldn’t be viewed as a form of income (nor are they enough to be considered so), foster parents are afforded some financial benefits to offset extra costs associated with welcoming a youth in the foster system into their homes.

UMFS provides 10 paid respite days per child or teen. The State of Virginia provides tax-free monthly maintenance payments and an annual clothing allowance. The amount of these payments varies per youth. Youth in the foster care program are also eligible for Medicaid and free school lunches at Virginia public schools.

The Jones Know the Benefits of Being Foster Parents

Sherrika and George Jones are longtime foster and adoptive parents. They adopted Nicholas (left), Mary (center) and Cierra (back right). DJ (front middle) was their first foster placement and is now their godchild after returning to his birth mother. He and his sister, Nay, enjoy spending time with Sherrika and George.

The Jones family started growing in 2007 when Sherrika learned she couldn’t have children. Instead, they began researching alternatives and found out about UMFS and fostering to adopt. 

They first saw DJ in hospital. He was a fragile newborn “with a whole bunch of tubes in him,” according to George. Sherrika and George admitted to being overwhelmed, but stepped up to provide unconditional love. Sherrika called the opportunity a blessing. “It felt like a gift just to be able to parent,” she said.

Thanks to their care, DJ grew into a healthy teen and was reunited with his birth mother. Sherrika and George remain involved as godparents, as well as mentors. “If his mom has a problem, she knows she can call on us,” Sherrika said.

How to Become a Foster Parent

*The whole process typically takes about 4 months.

Who Is UMFS?

UMFS is a nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive array of programs to support children, teens, and parents as they work to overcome challenges. We equip families with tools for success so they can achieve their goals. As a national leader in helping young people and families, we also proactively identify unmet social services needs and develop the necessary partnerships to address those needs.

Foster Parent Benefits and FAQ

For more information on foster parent benefits, contact us today!

UMFS has eight locations throughout the state of Virginia, spread conveniently across the Commonwealth. If you’re interested in learning what is involved to become a foster parent, we encourage you to send us an inquiry, or contact UMFS at any of these locations:

• Richmond
• Fredericksburg
• Alexandria-Northern Virginia
• Tidewater-Norfolk
• Farmville
• South Hill
• Lynchburg

Get in Touch With UMFS

Foster Parents Benefits and Resources