Children enter the foster care system due to substantiated allegations of abuse and/or neglect. Foster care is including these children in your family so their varying needs can be met. Foster families provide shelter, food, clothing, and acceptance in a nurturing environment in addition to "healing" intervention. The primary goal for each child who enters the foster care system is to be reunited with his/her biological parents or relatives. Foster families, by design, are families who provide a temporary haven until permanence can be obtained through reunification or adoption. A child's stay in foster care can range from several days to several years.

No. Single parents are welcomed and valued at AWFC.

You do not have to own your own home to be a foster parent. You must be able to provide the required living space for each child in your home. The home environment must be financially stable without the assistance you may receive from the foster care subsidies.

Each family will be given the opportunity to express what type of children (age, sex, ethnicity, behaviors, etc.) they can parent most effectively. As a foster parent with AWFC you will not be required to accept and care for a child in your home with which you are uncomfortable. Children in need of placement will be presented to you by your caseworker and you will have the opportunity to accept or decline placement.

Children in foster care need many caring adults in their lives on a consistent basis. Short-term or respite care is one way to get involved by providing care to children for a specified time while foster parents are unavailable or taking a break. It can be as short as a few hours or as long as a few weeks. Other ways to be involved include mentoring, providing transportation or sponsoring a child through our Bridging the Gap program.

On average, the process for a newly licensed foster parent takes approximately 3 months to complete. However, the process can be completed sooner depending on the family's availability and motivation.

Possibly. Foster care is meant to be temporary until children can return to their biological families. However, sometimes for different reasons children are not able to be reunified with their parents. In these situations, it is possible that the children may become available for adoption. Foster to adopt care in this situation is ideal as the family and child have already established a bond and will know more of what to expect.