How to Become a Foster Parent in Illinois
Many foster children in Illinois cannot find homes and find themselves stuck in limbo. Authorities removed these kids from their homes because of safety concerns, but they have nowhere else to go.
While care workers search for places where these foster kids can stay, some children are sleeping in offices. This is no way for a traumatized youth in foster care to live. Illinois urgently needs more families willing to protect children by opening their homes.
This guide is for those who are considering becoming a foster parent in Illinois. It will explain what it means to be a foster parent and give information about state approval requirements. In addition, you will find answers to common questions and links to local child-placing agencies in Illinois. Foster care advocates are available to understand your personal fostering goals and guide you each step along the way.
Quotes about foster care
How to Become a Foster Parent in Illinois
Close to 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system, and the numbers are on the rise. Yet, the path to becoming a foster parent in Illinois can often seem unclear. FosterUSKids.org is your source for information and guidance, connecting you with a local Illinois agency to simplify becoming a foster parent.
HOW TO FOSTER: A SIX-STEP GLANCE
There are six steps to complete before you can bring a child into your home as a licensed foster parent in Illinois:
- Request Information About Fostering –
FosterUSKids puts the Illinois foster care and adoption agencies at your fingertips.
- Attend an Orientation Meeting for Foster Parenting –
Learn more about the foster parent journey: how to become a foster parent, the characteristics of kids in foster care, and state foster care rules and regulations.
- Submit a Foster Parent Application –
Your agency’s social workers will help you with the required documentation, background checks, personal references, and state-specific criteria.
- Attend Pre-Service Training –
Around 30 hours of formal parent training cover essential topics from what to expect to trauma-informed foster care.
- Complete an Assessment and Home Study –
This vital process includes a home visit and interviews with social workers to ensure you are a good fit and ready to be matched with a foster child.
- Receive Your Foster License –
The typical 3 to 6-month process results in getting your foster family license and then welcoming a foster child into your home!
Parenting is a rewarding journey marked by commitment and growth. For foster children in Illinois, the search is not for a perfect parent but for someone they can count on for love, care, and a stable home – a foundation that will make a life-altering difference.
We at FosterUSKids are grateful you are on the path to learning more. For detailed guidance through every step, contact an Illinois child-placing agency now.
Requirements to Foster in Illinois
You must meet minimum requirements to provide foster care for children in Illinois. To become a foster parent, you must:
- Be at least 21 years old
- Attend foster parent orientation
- Pass a background check
- Finish 30 hours of foster parent training
- Complete the Home Study
- Provide at least three references
- Clear a physical exam
- Maintain financial stability
Foster families must be able to provide a safe and comfortable home for a child. You must provide room for the child to have a bed and enough space for personal belongings.
Foster parents do not need to be married or have a partner. However, if married, couples must show a stable marriage of at least one year before they can foster a child in Illinois.
Foster parents need to meet a child's basic care needs, such as providing meals and clothing. Foster families must also support a foster child's education and assist them in developing social skills.
Contact the DCFS or a local licensed child-placing agency to learn more or begin the fostering approval process.
Foster FAQs for Illinois
The idea of fostering a child may seem daunting at first. It helps to keep in mind that foster kids, like all kids, need a stable home with love and support from adult role models. The standard is not parenting perfection. Any adult who is willing to create a safe home and complete caregiving training can be just the parent a foster child needs.
Here are FAQs from aspiring foster families in Illinois.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Foster Parent?
The process can take several months to complete. It depends on how quickly you finish all requirements, such as scheduling your physical and completing a Home Study. Most foster parents are able to complete the licensing and approval process within three to six months.
The fostering approval process begins when you submit an application. Once accepted by a social services worker at a child-placing agency, they will walk you through each step of the process.
Caseworkers seek to understand your fostering goals and preferences. They will ask whether you have needs around a foster child's age or characteristics and whether you can help sibling groups. They will also want to know if your goal is to provide temporary foster or long-term adoption.
The approval process overall includes completing administrative paperwork, participating in face-to-face interviews, and having a home inspection. Your caseworker will notify you if they require changes to ensure the safety of your foster child at home.
What Can Disqualify Me From Fostering?
Most adults with a clean background and stable income are eligible. However, there are a few factors that will disqualify candidates from becoming foster parents. In Illinois, these include having:
- A felony conviction
- A history of abuse or violence
- Certain untreated mental illnesses
- Particular drug-related offenses
If you have specific circumstances to discuss, your child-placing agency will consider them.
Is There a Limit to How Many Kids I Can Foster?
Yes. The limit in Illinois is three foster children per foster home at a time. There is no limit to how many children you can foster throughout your life.
Foster parents may also be adoptive or birth parents to other family members while raising foster children.
What are the Greatest Needs for Illinois Foster Youth?
In Illinois and in the United States, there is a significant need for parents willing to take in sibling groups and older kids. Families looking to foster kids often pass by teenagers in favor of young kids.
Foster parents can make a world of difference by supporting an adolescent or teen separated from their birth family. Without home care, teens may end up in a more institutional group home environment. Having a committed adult and stable home helps ensure teenagers complete high school and learn the life skills needed to live on their own. This is critical for teens who "age out" of foster care and find themselves without any social and financial support.
Foster agencies in Illinois
General Foster FAQs
General Statistics About Foster Care
21,086
Kids in Illinois' foster care system
2,798
Illinois foster kids awaiting adoption
7 Years
Median age of a child in Illinois' foster care system
17%
The percentage of Illinois foster children who have been in the system for 3-4 years
Many people in Illinois and across the country aren't aware of the severity of the foster care crisis. There simply aren't enough foster homes, and many children go each day without a family to care for them.
How great is the need for foster parents in Illinois? The latest 2021 report from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report in Illinois says there are:
- 21,086 kids in Illinois foster care
- 6,944 who entered the foster care system
- 2,798 waiting to be adopted
- 50% of foster care case plans have reunification goals
- 12% of case plan goals include finding an adoptive family
- 2,152 kids awaiting adoption whose birth parents had parental rights terminated
- 38% of kids living with a non-relative foster family
Illinois' foster system has children in their care spanning all age groups, with the median age being seven years old. A child's median time spent in the Illinois foster care system is nearly two years, at 21.7 months. 17% of kids spend 3-4 years in foster care.
Are you ready to provide a place to call home to one of over 21,000 foster kids in Illinois? Although foster care is a temporary placement, the love and support you offer a child can make an impression that lasts a lifetime.
Every foster kid deserves a responsible, caring adult in their life. When a parent or caregiver tells a child or teen they have value, it makes a real impact. Kids achieve their potential when someone who believes in them pushes them to do their best. You can be the positive influence that makes a difference for a foster child in need.
Support Services for Foster Parents in Illinois
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Illinois supports and assists foster parents throughout the state. They offer access to caseworkers and a wide range of services. Among these resources are referrals, after-school care, funding for extracurricular activities, monthly stipends for basic needs, and more.
Children in foster care have coverage for their medical care and prescriptions. You can also find mental health care, counseling, and therapy resources on the DCFS website.
Additional online resources for foster parents include targeted newsletters and training programs. Many helpful articles cover a range of broad and specific fostering topics. For example, how to support child abuse and neglect victims, and teaching kids about financial literacy.
Many non-profit groups in the United States and Illinois help foster families by spreading awareness and providing support. Many provide a range of resources and assistance, like free educational training and webinars, support groups, clothing, and toys.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME A FOSTER PARENT IN Illinois
Every day in Illinois, children from all age groups enter foster care, some with no belongings of their own, all without an adult they can depend on. Every Illinois kid needs a soft place to land and a place to call home. Whether you can offer temporary care or become a forever family, your interest could mean a brighter, more secure future for a child in Alabama.
Still undecided? An Illinois child-placing agency is here to guide you, providing answers about stipends, coaching, therapy resources, and foster parent training.
Take the next step: Begin your parenting journey by fostering an Illinois child today.
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