Become a Foster/Adoptive Parent

Welcome to foster parenting. It is one of the most important jobs in our society. Foster parents provide a home environment that is not only safe and secure, but one that promotes emotional, physical and spiritual growth.

How to Become a Foster Parent

Foster/adoptive parents are truly extraordinary people. Foster and adoptive parenting is God’s way of taking care of precious children and teenagers who may have not had a chance otherwise. To become a foster/adoptive parent you have to be screened, trained and licensed. The following are the steps to become a foster parent with N.O.A.H.

  1. Call or Visit N.O.A.H. office to receive an information packet
  2. Return a completed application to the N.O.A.H. Office by mail or hand delivery
  3. Pass a criminal background check, with Child Protective Services and Bureau of Motor Vehicles
  4. Attend Orientation classes to inform you of the requirements of foster parents
  5. Pass a home assessment to ensure your residence meets the space and safety requirements to accommodate a foster child
  6. Complete a physical and/or psychological evaluation if necessary

Foster Care

Who are foster parents?

Foster parents are trained, licensed adults who:

  • Own or rent their own home or apartment
  • Are single or married
  • Have children, adult children, are without children or just beginning a family

What do foster parents do?

  • Help children whom the courts have removed from their homes and are in need of love and care
  • Nurture the child and provide for their basic physical needs
  • Give kids the opportunity to stay in familiar environments such as their schools and communities
  • Offer supervision, instruction and encouragement
  • Act as positive role models
  • Foster with the intention of being permanent connections for children throughout their lives
  • In certain circumstances, foster parents adopt

Good Foster Parenting

The following are some of the ways to be a good foster parent

  • Provide transportation for children to various appointment
  • Get involved in fundraising for the walk-a-thon or bring participants to the a walk-a-thon
  • Provide respite care, emergency care/placement, and means having a foster child in your home for a short period of time anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days.
  • Spend 3-4 hours a week with a child. Teach them new skills or hobbies, and have fun doing it. Not every child is a foster child, but many are, and you can make a difference.
  • Assist a child with school work. Many children in foster care have difficulty completing school projects. The instability of home life and trauma they have suffered affects them and can be a cause for incomplete school work. You can help by: Providing school supplies (book bags, notebooks, class rings, pictures, yearbooks)
  • Maintain a good relationship with the case manager
  • Fully complete monthly paperwork