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The National Foster Care and Adoption Directory Search allows you to search by state for: foster care and adoption contact numbers and websites, state agency officials- adoption and foster care, licensed adoption agencies, support groups, adoption search, education and training, etc.
How do we become a foster family?
How do we become a foster family?
The requirements are different for every agency, however most have similar requirements and process to get licensed. An overview of what the process can look like includes:
Submit an application
Attend foster care training
Complete a home study
To be a foster family in Kentucky you must:
To be a foster family in Kentucky you must:
Interested families must attend an informational meeting
Applicants must be at least 21 years old
Parents can be married or single
Parents should be financially stable and have an income (separate from any financial support offered to foster or adoptive parents for the child's needs) sufficient to meet their family's needs
Applicants must be able to provide a safe, secure, and healthy home for a child
Parents must be in good physical and mental health
The home must meet requirements for housing safety and space
All adults in the home must successfully complete training requirements, which include; an informational meeting, 15 hours of preparation training and web based trainings. In addition to the training, all adults will complete paperwork to help them make an informed decision about whether fostering and adopting is appropriate for their family.
Here is a link to the Kentucky state foster care system website: https://prd.webapps.chfs.ky.gov/kyfaces
To be a foster family in Ohio you must:
To be a foster family in Ohio you must:
You must be at least 21 years old.
At least one person in your home must be able to read, write and speak English, or be able to communicate effectively with both the child and the agency that placed the child in your home.
You may be single or married.
Your household must have enough income to meet the basic needs of the child and to make timely payment of shelter costs.
You must be free of any physical, emotional or mental conditions that could endanger the child or seriously impair your ability to care for the child.
A licensed physician, physician’s assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner or certified nurse-midwife must complete and sign a medical statement for you and each member of your household. You can find the required form here .
Everyone over 18 living in your house must never have been convicted of – or entered guilty pleas for – any offenses defined in Ohio Revised Code section 5103.0319. Some exclusions may be found in Ohio Administrative Code rule 5101:2-7-02.
A certified state fire safety inspector or the state fire marshal’s office must inspect your home and certify that it is free of hazardous conditions.
You must complete all required pre-placement and continuing training
Here is a link to the Ohio state foster care system website:
The training, evaluation and approval process normally takes six to nine months. The amount of time until a family receives a child depends on how flexible the family is about the type of child they wish to parent. Foster parents may receive a child shortly after approval.
The biggest concern that is holding back potential foster families is that it would be too hard to let go of a foster child that you have become attached to. To this I would respond with two things: number one, if you resonate with this concern then you are perfect for it. The kind of families that these children need are the ones who care enough to grieve their removal. Many of these kids have not had any adults that care for them and their wellbeing, and it is essential that foster families provide a loving home for them, even if it is only temporary. This leads me to my second response, which is really a question. What is more heartbreaking, caring for a foster child and watching them move onto another home, or knowing that there are children with no family, no one to care for them, and that you could have done something to change that? Foster care is hard, but it is equally beautiful. It is a gift to love and care for these kids, you will not regret it.
To learn more about Nightlight Christian Adoption's foster care program, visit their site!
"In Kentucky, there are nearly 10,000 children in out of home care. For children with certain histories and needs it can be even more difficult to find a loving home. At Nightlight we believe every child has a right to live in a safe and loving home and our focus is on waiting children who struggle to find nurturing homes in the Commonwealth. Our attention is on finding families for children, ages 6 and up, sibling groups, children who need special medical care due to medical diagnosis and those who have therapeutic needs."
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