Becoming a Family Works Foster Parent

Becoming a foster parent is a multi-step process, involving:

• Following the guidelines in HSF Ch. 56 (foster care) and HSF Ch. 38 (treatment foster care)
• Interviews with you and your family
• Visits to your home, including a safety inspection
• 18 hours of pre-service training
• Physical examinations
• Criminal background checks (including local police checks, state bureau of criminal investigations checks and county child and protective services checks).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does Family Works differ from "regular" foster care?
A: Usually the children Family Works places in foster homes are older (10- to-16-years old) and have often been severely neglected and/or abused. Additionally, many of the children have "harder to handle" behaviors. Treatment foster parents usually need to provide more supervision and are compensated at a higher rate than foster parents in regular foster care.

Q: How is a match made?
A: Family Works lets you look at all the referral material we receive. If you’re interested in the child, we set up a pre-placement visit. You will have the option of accepting the referral or waiting for a different referral. We strive to make a good match for both you and the child.

Q: What are my responsibilities?
A: You will be expected to work as a member of a team, provide basic needs (including transportation to appointments), treat your foster child with respect, assist with the child’s family (where appropriate), keep good documentation, and above all, keep a sense of humor!

For more information about becoming a foster parent, contact:

Or in the northern part of the state, contact: