Home / Child & Family / Foster Care
The Need
Approximately
children enter foster care for the first time every year
In Michigan, around
children are in foster care due to abuse and neglect
There are less than
licensed foster homes available
Last Year, we helped
individuals receive training to become foster parents
While a child is in foster care, our dedicated team works tirelessly to support and strengthen biological families, breaking down barriers so children can safely return home. To make this possible, we recruit and train compassionate foster parents to provide a nurturing temporary home for children in need. Together, we create a circle of care—ensuring the child’s safety and well-being, empowering the biological family's progress, and supporting the success of foster families.
Steps to
Becoming a Foster Parent
Step 1:
Join us at Orientation
Our free virtual foster care orientation is an overview of foster care and the process of becoming licensed. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and gain reliable perspectives from those with real experience in foster care. At the end of orientation, you’ll receive an application if you decide to continue in the process.
Step 2:
Submit an Application
Next, you will be free to submit your completed Foster Home Application and Criminal Clearance paperwork, including your fingerprints, to your Judson Center worker for submission.
Step 3:
Attend Training
Your Judson Center Licensing Worker will refer you to attend GROW training - a free training that helps prepare foster parents for the journey ahead. GROW stands for:
Grow
culturally responsive relationships
Recognize
children’s developmental needs and the impact of trauma
Obtain
information and resources
Work
in partnership with families to support healthy relationships.
Step 4:
Submit Paperwork
It’s no secret that becoming a foster parent requires completing a lot of paperwork. Thankfully, our online application system makes finishing your documents easy. This important step includes background checks, family information, income information, and an interview about your family, home, and parenting.
Step 5:
Complete a Home Study and Interview
Your Judson Center Licensing Worker will visit you to assess your home and discuss things like your background, parenting styles, and finances. This step of the process helps to ensure you can comply with all licensing requirements and allows us to hear from you about what kind of placements you are comfortable with.
Step 6:
Receive Approval from the State of Michigan
After your report is completed, a worker will submit it to the Michigan Department of Child Welfare Licensing. If approved, the worker will contact you with the good news. Now you’re ready! Time to wait for your first placement call from a team member.
Foster care is the temporary placement, by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, of a child who has experienced abuse or neglect and been removed from their home. The purpose of foster care is always to reunify children with their parents once it is safe and stable. As a foster parent, you should be committed to helping the child in your home reunite with their parents or another family member if possible. If reunification is not an option, children become available for adoption. However, almost half of the children in foster care are returned home or to a relative.
Children in foster care come from varying backgrounds and range in age from birth to 18 years. All children in foster care have experienced at least some level of trauma as a result of neglect or abuse. Some have never known a stable home. Regardless of a child’s past, the best path to their healing is a loving and committed foster parent who can support them and meet their needs while they wait to be reunified with family.
To qualify, you must be at least 18 years old, financially stable, and able to meet the needs of the children placed in your care. There is no minimum income or education requirement. You will be required to complete a home study assessment, background clearances, and training. These requirements help ensure that both you and your home are ready to provide a safe, loving, and stable environment for a child in foster care.
On average, the licensing process can take anywhere from three to six months depending on how timely you are about completing paperwork and training.
Absolutely! Whether you are single, married, or in any kind of relationship, we need caring foster parents. We welcome all types of families to join us in caring for vulnerable children and youth.
Owning a home is not a requirement to be a licensed foster parent as long as your home or apartment complies with licensing requirements to ensure it is safe and welcoming for a child.
When you accept a placement of a child into your home, you won’t know the length of their stay. A placement can last anywhere from a few months to two years, and sometimes even longer. Our team provides support and communicates with you throughout the child’s entire stay in your home. The best thing for a child is to stay in one stable foster home for the duration of their time in foster care so we encourage foster parents to take saying “yes” seriously.
Reunification is the heart of foster care. If your foster child’s case moves toward reunification, your caseworker will communicate with you and walk you through the process. This transition is certainly bittersweet. When a child is returned home after being in foster care, our foster parents can know they’ve made a positive difference in a child’s life and helped a family stay together safely.
This year, 1,600 youth over 18 will “age out” of foster care. If these youth do not have identified guardians or adoptive families in place, they can be left without the support needed to live on their own. We partner with foster parents and other supporters to provide Independent Living Services to youth ages 16-21 to help them prepare for life as a young adult. These services can include job training, housing assistance, mentoring, health services, and other independent living skills.
Let's Get Started!
Contact us today for additional information!
Our team is here to answer your questions and connect you to the care you or a loved one need.