Overview
Make a profound difference in a child’s life by opening your heart and home. The Foster Care program at Family & Children’s Agency matches caring single, hetero and LGBT couples with children, birth to 18 years old, from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF). Our most successful foster parents are open-minded, dependable, patient and willing to try different parenting styles for children with different needs. Having a flexible schedule, being tolerant and demonstrating the ability to work as a member of our team are all important qualities for success.
Family & Children's Agency foster parents must: - Successfully complete criminal background clearances
- Be in good physical health
- Be financially self-sufficient
- Have living accommodations with room for a separate bed for each foster child
- Successfully complete Family & Children’s Agency state-licensed foster parent training
- Complete 30 hours of initial training and a minimum of 28 annual hours of post-licensing training
- Successfully complete CPR and First Aid certification
- Agree to in-home support from Family & Children's Agency staff
As a Family & Children’s Agency foster parent, you will receive:
- Extensive training and ongoing support
- Crisis Intervention 24-hours a day, seven days a week
- Support of experienced, dedicated staff
- Access to special services for children, including recreation, school programs and respite care
- Networking, socializing and support from other foster families
- A monthly stipend
Financial and medical benefits are available for the child while in foster care or until an adoption is finalized.
Family & Children’s Agency offers Foster Parent training classes multiple times throughout the year. It is expected that potential foster parent(s) will attend all scheduled classes. The curriculum followed for all licensed foster homes in the state of Connecticut is called Trauma Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanence – Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting or TIPS-MAPP. This curriculum runs for 12 weeks and includes additional training requirements to obtain a foster care license.
Who Are the Children
The children in Family & Children's Agency Foster Care range from ages birth to 18 years old and are referred through the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Children may need foster care for just a few days, or may be in placement for longer than a year, and in certain cases, youth may remain with a foster family until age 23. Foster families willing and able to accommodate sibling groups and older children and teens, are in high demand.
FCA provides families with around-the-clock support and various training and community resources to ensure successful outcomes for the children in our programs.