Family and Community Services strives to find stable and loving foster families for children in need. Foster care is a program designed to provide a substitute family for children in an agency approved household. FCS is contracted with the Michigan Department of Human Services to provide foster care services as well as adoption services in various counties throughout the state.

The primary goal of foster care is to reunite children with their birth families Many children are waiting for stable and loving homes that can provide them with appropriate care and meet their needs while their birth parents work towards reunification. It takes a special family to be able to bond and care for a child or sibling group, and then say goodbye to that child. Nonetheless, children need your help.

Many children are older, have special needs, or are part of a sibling group and need to remain together. Foster care is founded on the premise that all children have the right to physical care and emotional guidance.

FOSTER PARENT REQUIREMENTS

  • Application: Must complete an orientation and foster care application
  • Age: 18 or older
  • Marital Status: Married or Single
  • Income/Employment: Family income must be adequate to meet the needs of the household.(Child Daycare Assistance may be available).
  • Housing: May own or rent.  Adequate bedroom space (40 sq. ft. per child).
  • Health: Medical examination for every household member
  • References: Three written character references
  • Good Moral Character: Police record check.  Abuse/Neglect record check.  Previous licensing record check.
  • Homestudy: On-site home visit and interviews with all family members
  • Training: Initial and ongoing education in the areas of behavioral, emotional and physical needs of children, child management techniques, rights and responsibilities of the agency and foster parents, etc. This also includes the required state foster care PRIDE training.

FCS is in need of mature, stable, nurturing families that are able to make a commitment to, and meet the needs of types of children placed by the agency. Specific qualities the agency looks for include:

  1. A willing to be flexible to type of child placed in the home.
  2. Precious experience with children or adolescents.
  3. Ability to support the goal of reunification.
  4. A willingness to participate in a team effort with foster care staff and birth parents.