May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month

CHICAGO - May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, a time to honor and celebrate the 8,350 foster families across the state who have made it their life's mission to care for Illinois' most vulnerable children and encourage more Illinoisans to join them by becoming licensed foster families.

Children are placed in the temporary care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) by local courts when it is determined that their families cannot safely care for them. DCFS works tirelessly with families to make the positive changes necessary, from addiction services to counseling and housing assistance, to successfully reunite families with their children. During this critical time, foster families step in to provide homes where children are protected, nurtured and loved. Today, there are more than 20,000 children living in foster care in the state: 8,200 are living with foster families, 11,000 with relatives and 600 in group homes.

"Our foster families have chosen to open their hearts and homes to provide a loving and accepting environment where our youth in care can begin to heal from the trauma they have endured," said Illinois DCFS Director Marc D. Smith. "As rewarding as this role is, it can also be challenging, and I am incredibly grateful to our foster families for making a positive difference in the lives of the children who need them the most."

Foster homes are needed for children of all ages, including sibling groups, adolescents, African American and Latino children, children with special medical needs, teenage mothers and their babies and LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex) children. To learn more about some of the children in need of a foster family, visit the Heart Gallery of Illinois at https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/heartgalleryofil/.

Making the decision to become a foster parent is a serious commitment to a child who needs stability and love. DCFS and a network of private agency partners offer a range of supports to foster families, including a monthly stipend for the child's basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing costs; a medical card; therapeutic, educational, recreational and crisis support services; and access to caseworkers, training programs and support groups to meet the child's and family's needs.

Foster families also become part of a team, working with DCFS and private agencies, birth families, counselors, physicians and the courts to reunite children with their families whenever possible.

The licensing process to become a foster parent can take up to six months. Prospective foster families are required to:

Foster parents must be at least 21 years old and can be married, in a civil union, single, divorced or separated. They can work full- or part-time, go to school or be a stay-at-home parent; and rent or own their own home.

There are many types of foster care, including traditional care, emergency/shelter care, medical/therapeutic care, relative/kinship care, respite/short-term care and tribal care.

To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent, fill out the online interest form on the DCFS website: https://dcfs.illinois.gov. Click on Loving Homes, then click on Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent.