Recruitment Philosophy Statement
The need for individuals or families willing to welcome a child into their home is great, especially for older children. We are searching for caring and open-minded individuals ‒ including all diversity of age, race, creed, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, or educational level ‒ to support families in need.
Role of a Foster Parent
Our foster parents take in children and teens that were separated from their biological families by DCFS because of complicated hardship. They create a stable and accepting temporary home for them while their biological families work to improve the complex situations that led to the removal of their children through the court system. Equally important is the duty to reach out to the youth’s biological family to provide support systems for them to get back up on their feet and maintain a consistent and healing relationship with their child/ren.
Can I Be a Foster Parent?
Do you have a spare bedroom? A desire to care for children, and the grace to let them go at the right time? Resilient emotional health and financial stability? The will to do the emotional labor to connect with both the child and their family? A yes to all these questions is an excellent start. We welcome a variety backgrounds and family structures including single parents, empty nesters, LGBT+ families, and caregivers with disabilities.
Diverse foster children need you to have the willingness to self-reflect and recognize your personal privileges, which are the ways your identity gives you a boost in the modern world. Examples may include able-bodied health, freedom from addiction, financial stability, racial privilege, or being heterosexual among many others. By noticing your own privileges, you can see barriers that foster kids need to recognize in the face of discrimination, and you are motivated to find resources to help them to maneuver through these barriers. Learn more about diversity in the foster care system during the licensing process.
