Direct Line:
(800) 783-5070
(330) 722-9300

Abuse & Neglect
Hotline:
(330) 661-0800

Child Support:
(800) 706-2732
(330) 722-9398

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Your Heart, Your Home

No one is quite like you. Whatever your unique mix of marital and parenting status, ethnicity, income-level, and age, your life experiences have strengthened and equipped you for the next step of your journey. Perhaps that journey is foster care or adoption.

Inquiry Form

First Name: * This field is required

Last Name: * This field is required

Street:

City:

State:

Zip:

Phone: * This field is required

Email: * A valid email address is required

Date of Birth:

Marital Status:

All fields below are optional.
I would be willing to consider fostering:

Minimum Age of Child:

Maximum Age of Child:

Maximum # of Children:

How did you hear about us:

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Foster and Adopt

Whether you’ve been curious about fostering or are just now feeling drawn to help families and kids, when you work with Medina County Job and Family Services, you are never alone. We are here to support you while you prepare to give your heart and home to a child in need.

Foster

Adopt

Kinship

Resources

Waiting Children Profiles

To view a list of children in Medina County Job and Family Services custody waiting for their forever families, click here.

Becoming a Foster Parent

STEP 1

Pre-Service Training

Complete 24 total hours of training, divided between self-directed/online training and in-person training. All spouses and live-in partners must attend.

STEP 2

Application Submission

The application will be mailed to you as part of the information packet. The application and supporting documents should be returned to the agency and that begins the application process. As you work through your training, you can submit other supporting documents. Our staff will schedule a time to complete the fingerprint background check.

STEP 3

The Home Study

Upon completion of your training, an assessor will work with you to complete all the paperwork and safety inspections required to become licensed. Several home visits will be conducted, and all family members will be interviewed. Once the home study is complete you will be licensed for foster care and approved for adoption with the State of Ohio.

STEP 4

Placement Expectations

When considering your placement, we will take into account the number, age, gender, and characteristics of children discussed, as part of the home study process.

FOSTER

When children cannot safely remain in their own homes, they are placed in a temporary living situation called foster care. Foster parents—at least 18 years of age and representing a range of marital statuses, orientations, and religions—provide daily care and supervision, acting in place of the parent to make sure all needs of the child are met until children are reunified with their parents or a permanent living situation is arranged for them. The need is greatest for school-age children, teens, and sibling groups. Foster parents receive ongoing training, support, financial assistance, and health care for the children in their care.

Inquiry Form

First Name: * This field is required

Last Name: * This field is required

Street:

City:

State:

Zip:

Phone: * This field is required

Email: * A valid email address is required

Date of Birth:

Marital Status:

All fields below are optional.
I would be willing to consider fostering:

Minimum Age of Child:

Maximum Age of Child:

Maximum # of Children:

How did you hear about us:

Message

ADOPT

There are times when fostering a child leads to the opportunity to adopt. Post Adoption Special Services Subsidy (PASSS) is a state-funded program designed to assist families to receive services after adoption finalization. For information on PASSS, click here.

Waiting Children Profiles

Ohio Justice Bus - Free Legal Clinic

Ohio Adoption Navigator

KINSHIP

Are you caring or considering caring for a child already close to the family? Kinship Care describes a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or any non-relative adult who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child and/or family, has taken over the full-time, substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so. Kinship care often offers the greatest level of stability by allowing children to maintain their sense of belonging and enhances their ability to identify with their family's culture and traditions.

Learn More Kinship Permanency Incentive Application

Ohio Kinship Navigator

Ohio Justice Bus - Free Legal Clinic

Become a Foster Parent and Change the World One Kid at a Time

Have you ever thought about becoming a foster parent? Wondered what it takes to become licensed?

Follow one couple's journey as they pursue expanding their family, and redefine "family" along the way. See what it takes to provide a safe place for vulnerable children by becoming a foster parent. Get a first-hand look at working with Medina County Job and Family Services throughout the licensing process, and hear personal experiences and advice from current foster parents.

Could you be part of changing the world one kid at a time?

RESOURCES

Getting started with the foster parent application process? Find important resources below! To complete the Autobiography and Home Study Questions, download and open the fillable PDFs. After opening the PDF, select "Fill & Sign" from the menu on the right-hand side of the PDF. You will then be able to type in your answers.

NEWS

Foster Parent Banquet

May 12, 2023

We hosted our annual Foster Parent Banquet for National Foster Care Month.

A Kinship Care Story in Medina County

April 26, 2023

Learn why a grandmother took in her five grandchildren during a desperate season of life and hear her experience providing kinship care.

Trauma-Informed Training for Foster Families

September 16, 2022

TBRI is an attachment-based, trauma-informed therapeutic model that trains caregivers to provide effective support and treatment for at-risk children. It is designed to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity, early harm, toxic stress, or trauma.

Medina County
Job and Family Services
232 Northland Drive
Medina, OH 44256

Office: (330) 722-9300
Toll Free: (800) 783-5070
Fax: (330) 722-3383

CHILD SUPPORT
Phone: (330) 722-9398
Toll-Free: (800) 706-2732
Fax: (330) 722-9238
Email: medina_child_support_01@jfs.ohio.gov

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