Maryland Department of Human Services
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Contact Information
310 West Saratoga Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
United States
Online Contact Form
Baltimore, MD 21201
United States
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30 AM-5 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM-5 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM-5 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM-5 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM-5 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
There are many Maryland children waiting to be part of a family. Some of the children have special educational, emotional, or medical needs; this information is confidential and does not appear in the children's descriptions. More detailed information about the children can be shared with adoptive parents as they are completing the adoption preparation process.
Foster Care is a temporary Service that provides short-term care and supportive services to children who are unable to live at home because of child abuse or neglect. Foster children live in family foster homes and group care settings.
All Maryland counties and Baltimore City operate foster care programs. Foster care caseworkers work with the birth and foster families to develop the most appropriate permanency plan for each child. Reunification with parents, placement with relatives, or adoption are examples of permanency plans. If for some reason a child cannot reunite with their family, the child, depending on their age, receive services that teach them to be independent young adults.
Services and information
- Traditional Foster Care
- Emergency Foster Care
- Respite Foster Care
- Adoption
Requirements to become a foster parent
Understanding the licensing requirements is the first step, as they vary by state. In Maryland, potential foster parents must meet the following criteria:
- 21 years of age or older
- Live in a safe home, either a house or an apartment
- Undergo a criminal background check and fingerprinting
- Remain financially stable
- Able to support a child financially
- Undergo a medical examination
- Attend a medical reexamination every two years
- Provide three references
- Attend necessary parent training/education courses
- A minimum of two home visits by an approval worker
- Child support clearance
- No use of physical punishment allowed
- Receive a fire inspection and health clearance from local departments
The foster care agency you work with will help you to meet these qualifications. They answer your questions, provide parent education training, conduct home visits, and more. As such, they'll be your first point of contact as you prepare for your first placement.
Remember that it will take time to go through the approval process. The home study takes the longest, consisting of lots of paperwork, interviews, inspections, etc. However, you'll be a licensed foster parent in Maryland when it's over.
Ratings and Reviews
Average user rating
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Feb 27, 2023
IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING WHEN THEIR JOBS ARE TAKEN OVER BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE! Then and only then will these ppl see it from the other side 🙄 😒 i had an interview call that i waited for all day i mean cleared my schedule...No call so i called the next day where a nice young lady answered and said ma'am they never even tried to call you. They should reschedule in a few days...no call then a week later here comes the letter in the mail saying i missed my interview and ofcourse now my benefits will be cut off and like a narcissist they are its my fault.
Feb 14, 2023
Highly don't recommend
Jan 24, 2023
I had a phone interview & didnt get one call. I ended up calling myself just for nobody to answer the phone & leave me on hold forever. & then I get a email saying that I missed my appointment, NO ONE CALLED & NO ONE ANSWERED! This is so sad that people have to go thru this.
Jan 23, 2023
They loaded my food card in August. Two months later, in October, I get told I’m “due for a 6 month review of benefits” by a notice in the mail. I fill it out, send it in. December, I receive another notice that I’m “due for 6 month review.” This one doesn’t go through. I get another notice 2 weeks later that I need to mail it in, after mailing it twice previously. I get texts telling me I can fill out my review online, and when I sign in it tells me that my case isn’t eligible for review “at this time”. I get a notice a week later on the mail, on the 20th (I check my mail everyday). It says that if they dont receive updated information from me by THE 20th, they will cancel my benefits. That notice was sent out on the 10th…
I’ve mailed in my lease and my termination letter from my job. They still have outdated info, like that I’m still employed and paying a rent 300 dollars cheaper than the one I’m paying now. It’s so infuriating.
It feels like they’re just forcing you out of benefits. Like, you have to beg to get in, and do “6 month reviews” every other month.
I call them in the morning and I’m on hold for hours at a time after navigating confusing menus. Just awful.
Jan 10, 2023
I was told on two different occasions that I missed my interview but I never received notification. I didn’t receive notification in the mail until after the interview date. I did get a call from someone in the department in the middle of the day but I was at work and could not answer at that time. The person left a message and I called back and messaged so many times but the person never responded. My case was closed and the reason was I missed my interview. In all the times I have dealt with this agency I have come across maybe one or two people who actually cared for their clients. I don’t understand how people get into the human services field and have no empathy or compassion and don’t want to help people. The workers are often rude and talk to individuals seeking help with no respect almost like they are looking down on them. Times are hard and people just need a little help sometimes and they shouldn’t be made to feel less than because of it.