BECOME A FOSTER PARENT
Become a Foster Parent
Our Foster Care program offers homes to children who have been removed from their homes for safety reasons. The length of stay for each child varies. Services are provided to aid in the reunification of the family and other means of permanency for the child.
The Role of a Foster Parent
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Provide a safe, nurturing, and loving home
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Provide social, physical, and emotional support
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Encourage and participate in the child's education
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Be supportive of the child's family
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Help create special childhood memories for the child
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Advocate for the best interest of the child
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Meet and follow the Foster Care licensing standards
Are you Right for this?
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Do you have a desire to help end the suffering of children?
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Are you able to protect, nurture, and love a child positively?
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Are you a team player?
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Do you want to make a difference?
Basic Requirements to become a Foster Parent
The following are some of the requirements in order to be considered to become a Foster Parent:
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Must be age 21 or older
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Be able to pay your own bills
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No one bedroom houses
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Physically able to take care of children
To become a foster family; you must complete an extensive licensing and training process.
Steps to become a Foster Parent
The steps to become a Foster Parent goes as follows:
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Call a WCH Foster Care Licensing Representative to express interest
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An application packet will be mailed and we will schedule your first home visit (application includes background checks, fingerprints, physicals, references, and your financial standing)
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After the home visit, we will sign you up for Foster Care Pre-Service training offered by the State of Illinois
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Further home visits will be made to cover Foster Care rules and regulations with you
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After completion of training, home visits, and home study, the agency will determine if we will be able to license you into our Foster Family program
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Once licensed, you just have to wait for the call to have a Foster Child join your family
If you are interested in being a home for foster children, please contact one of our licensing representatives.
Licensing Representatives
The following individuals are our Licensing Representatives. Please contact them if you have questions regarding how to become a Foster Parent or would like to start the process.
Sandra Puhlman
Director of Foster Care Services
217-423-6961 ext. 2145