Always. You and the Circles of Care social worker discuss the type of children that you are willing to and feel that you would best work with. This may include such things as age, sex, race, personalities, and presenting problems or behaviors such as those discussed above. If you and your Circles of Care social worker decide that a particular referred child will work well in your home a pre-placement visit is set up if possible to give you and the child an opportunity to meet each other and to get a “feel” on whether the placement would be a good one.
After this visit, you, the Circles of Care social worker, the child, and the referring agency jointly decide on whether or not to make a placement in your home. Don’t be afraid to say no to a possible placement. It is in everyone’s best interest to be honest about your concerns and wants.