Resources: Foster Care

Our agency needs foster families who are willing to take all ages of children. Our greatest need is for families who are willing to take school aged children, teens, and sibling groups.

• Fill out an application
• Attend training sessions (36 total hours, divided into 12 sessions)
• Complete a background check
• Pass a fire inspection and safety audit
• Complete a home study and autobiography

The home study is a series of home visits with a foster care coordinator/assessor to share and gather information and determine your suitability to become a licensed foster parent. The assessor will work with you to complete all the necessary paperwork and safety inspections required to become licensed. The home study process can take three to six months.

An application packet will be mailed to you for completion along with a home study checklist of required documents. You will turn in the application to the agency and then begin working on the other items. It is important to turn in the application prior to working on any items on the checklist.

You will be assigned a foster care coordinator/assessor who will complete your home study with you. If you have met the requirements you will become licensed to foster and will be approved for adoption. 

Your role is to:

• Provide for children’s basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter
• Create a safe place for children to learn and grow and cope with complex feelings
• Ensure that children feel equal and included in all family activities
• Support children’s identity and traditions
• Provide transportation for children to appointments, activities, visits, and events
• Monitor and strengthen children’s academic progress
• Provide consistent, realistic guidance and discipline
• Work with the professionals and biological families to promote effective reunification

Assistance will include:

• Medical Coverage: Foster children receive coverage through Medicaid offering full coverage for all medical needs including routine healthcare, prescriptions, and counseling.
• Financial Support: Licensed families are paid a stipend to help meet daily living needs of the children placed in their home.
• Ongoing Training: Families are provided continued training on topics offering knowledge and guidance on the children placed in your home.
• Foster Care Events: Annual events for families and children such as summer picnics, fall hayrides, breakfast with Santa, etc.
• Personal Support: Families are assigned a foster care coordinator who will advocate on behalf of your family when placement decisions are being made (will take your family into consideration when placement decisions are being made) and who will be available to your family as a support throughout the duration of placements.

You need to be at least 18 years of age to become a foster parent.

No, you simply must be able to meet basic household needs.

No. You can be married, single, divorced, widowed.

No. You can own or rent and can live in a house, apartment, or mobile home. You must have sufficient space for children and their belongings.

No. You can be employed or stay-at-home. Assistance may be available for the cost of childcare.

Yes. All spouses and live-in partners must attend the pre-service training. You do not have to attend the same training series if there is a scheduling conflict. You may take the training at another county or take the next training series.

Yes. You will need to contact us for a training schedule and to make arrangements with another county.

The training classes are good for 18 months. However, you must be licensed in that 18-month time period. A home study can take up to 6 months. This means you should plan to turn in all your paperwork and be assigned for home study within 12 months in order to avoid having to retake the pre-service classes.

A foster home license is good for 2 years.

You are required to complete a certain number of hours of continuing training for each 2-year licensing period. These classes are offered free to you on a variety of topics.

Yes. We will make a case-by-case determination based on your location.

Yes. Each child must have a bed of their own. A foster child cannot share a bedroom with a child of the opposite sex, except when all children in the bedroom are under the age of five.

Yes. Birth families are entitled to visitation with their children by state law. The child’s case worker will arrange visitation, and visits take place at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Medina or another agreed upon location.

Yes, you are typically permitted to take children in your care on vacation with you if you provide the child’s case worker sufficient notice along with an address and phone number where you will be.

There is no cost to becoming a foster parent.