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Favorite Questions

What is Foster Care?

Foster Care is the temporary placement of children outside their own homes. It occurs because of abuse, neglect, or other major family problems. All social welfare agencies work with families to reunite them in a healthy atmosphere. When that's not possible, measures are taken to get the children adopted or prepared for an independent life.

What do foster parents do?

Foster Parents do many things. These are five basic competencies:

Protect and nurture children
Connect children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime
Meet children's individual, educational, medical, and developmental needs
Support children's relationships with their birth families
Work as members of a professional team.

What types of Foster Care are needed?

	Emergency Foster Care
	Short Term Respite Foster Care
	Relative Foster Care
	Traditional Foster Care
	Specialized Foster Care
	Treatment Foster Care
	Foster Care leading to Adoption
	Special Needs Adoption Homes

Children who currently need homes the most are:

	Sibling groups who need to stay together
	Teenagers
	Infants and young children
	Children with special medical needs
	Children with behavior and emotional problems

What Can You Do?

	Become a licensed foster parent.
	Talk to others about the need... Get the word out.
	Support Foster Parents. They are doing an invaluable service not only for the children, but also for the community.
	Support foster children... In your neighborhood, school, and church.

How Do I Become A Foster Parent?

A call to Humanistic Foster Family Agency listed on this page will result in a representative contacting you regarding your interest in foster care. A representative will then make an appointment to come to your home. That person's job is to decide, with you, if foster care is a good plan for your family and, if so, how you can best help foster children.

The representative will also give and explain to you an application packet. This packet includes medical forms for each member of the household that must be filled out by their personal physician. The law requires that every adult living in the home must be fingerprinted. Also, the non-related references you provide will be contacted. While these checks are being conducted, you will have to attend training classes to help prepare you for your future role as a foster parent.

Successful matches between foster children and foster families are important. As a foster parent, you can express a preference that best fits into your family. The decision to accept a child into your home is always yours to make.