FOSTER CARE &
ADOPTION

There is no cost to go through the training, background checks, home study, or licensure. There is also no cost to you during the placement process, or in any post-placement therapy, support, or services that we provide. In fact, all of our services are completely free of charge. When you provide foster care for a child, the state pays monthly reimbursements to you to cover the basic needs of the child. In some cases, these monthly reimbursement payments may continue for a child who is adopted through foster care.

CHS accepts referrals from state and tribal Child Protection Services for children in need of TFC. The initial referral contains basic information about the child's strengths and areas of need. We work diligently to match children to families that can meet their unique needs and once a family is identified, CHS staff make contact and present the referral information to the family. The family can ask questions or seek clarification on information presented about the child. Sometimes, this requires additional information gathering from the referring agency.

Once a referral for a child is accepted by a foster family, a placement date is determined. The placement date and details are agreed upon by the referring agency/caseworker, CHS and foster parents. Typically, the child's caseworker and a representative from CHS are present at the time of placement to review paperwork and help everyone get settled in. The caseworker and CHS make contact within the first 24 hours of placement and maintain regular home visits.

The TFC parents’ primary role is to provide exceptional, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care to each child they welcome into their home. Often, foster parents are key partners in the treatment team as they communicate the observations they’ve made, which are used to shape and monitor the progress of treatment goals.

CHS has two primary functions within the TFC program. First, our staff provides clinical therapy and case management services to children, youth and families in the program. Second, we recruit, train, license and retain families to provide TFC through CHS. Our team is committed to providing excellent service to children and families.

While CHS staff will present referrals, foster parents are encouraged to carefully consider how accepting the specific child into their home will impact overall family functioning. If foster parents feel the impacts of placement are greater than they can successfully manage, the referral should not be accepted. CHS reserves the right to withhold referrals for children they do not believe would match well with a particular family.

The information here details the process of becoming a foster parent. If you are interested in providing Therapeutic Foster Care with Children’s Home Society please complete the inquiry form.

Once you have begun providing foster care for a child, if your intention is to adopt and the child in your care is available for adoption, we require that the child live in your home for a minimum of six months prior to finalizing an adoption. Our focus is on providing permanency for a child, so we ensure that a placement is stable before proceeding with adoption finalization. For this reason, in some cases, adoption finalization may take longer than six months.