Foster care is a supportive arrangement where children temporarily live with families, called foster families when their own parents face challenges in providing care. These families offer love, stability, and a safe environment to help children thrive during difficult times. Foster care aims to reunite kids with their birth families once it’s safe, but in some cases, it may lead to adoption if returning home isn’t possible.
Every decision revolves around what is best for the children, with a focus on keeping them connected to their story. Children enter foster care when it’s not safe to stay at home, aiming for kids to return home (known as Reunification) or be with relatives or close family friends as soon as possible. The duration with a foster family varies; it could be days, weeks, or months as cps workers search for relatives. In some cases, it extends until the judge’s final ruling after 12 or 18 months.
If reunification efforts fail and no relatives are available, the court might ask foster parents if they’d like to adopt the child.
When children first enter foster care, it’s termed Emergency Placement. Many details about the children’s needs are initially unknown due to the circumstances. Foster families dedicated to connecting with and being flexible for the kids become a tremendous resource during this critical moment for their birth family.
At The Ark Child Placing Agency, we believe in the importance of keeping children connected to their stories and roots. When children enter foster care, our goal is clear: reunification with their biological families or placement with relatives and close family friends. Our diligent workers actively search for and assess suitable family members to facilitate this process.
In some instances, when reunification efforts face challenges and no relatives are available, our foster parents may be presented with the opportunity to provide a forever home through adoption. We work closely with families, social workers, and the legal system to ensure a supportive and nurturing environment for every child.
The Ark Child Placing Agency will pre-screen all foster parent applicants for eligibility prior to the beginning of the home study process. All foster family applications will initially submit a completed data collection form to the agency. Applications are pre-screened based on the following criteria.
- Must have high school diploma or G.E.D. and provide documentation of such. If no high school diploma or G.E.D. be able to pass a agency assessment.
- Must be at least 21 years of age as indicated on the copy of the birth certificate.
- Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent residents, or other qualified aliens as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1641 (b)
- If married, marriage license must be provide. If divorced, a divorced degree must be provided.
- Must provide income statements demonstrating ability to care for youth with verifiable income that demonstrates earnings above established federal poverty line for family size.
- Must successfully complete required agency orientation.
Applications must have a home and adequate room to house a child, that allows him/her privacy and meets LICENSING STANDARDS. A bedroom must have at least 40sq feet of space for each occupant and no more than 4 occupants are permitted in one bedroom. Single occupant bedroom must have at least 80sq feet of floor of floor space. All children must have his/her own bed and place to store their belongings.
- Applicants must provide utility bills to verify their address.
- Applicants must provide homeowners or rental insurances.
- Applicants must provide a floor plan of the home showing the dimensions and purpose of the home, identifying indoor area for children’s use photographs must accompany the floor plan.
- Applications must provide an approved fire inspection.
- Applications must provide an approved health inspection.
Together, let’s build a strong foundation for every child’s journey. Donate now to start making a positive impact.