Bethany Christian Services Grand Rapids
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Contact Information
901 Eastern Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
United States
Online Contact Form
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
United States
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Tuesday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Wednesday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Thursday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Friday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Saturday | 9AM - 5PM |
| Sunday | 9AM - 5PM |
Being a foster parent is so much more than loving a child in your home. It’s also showing kindness to a family when they need it most.
It’s giving a child a safe place to land during a hard, scary time when they’re away from home. And it’s showing compassion to a parent who is likely overwhelmed, scared, and without a lot of support.
It’s helping a child stay connected to the only home they’ve ever known, in whatever way it’s safe to do so, and cheering on a family that’s living out a comeback story.
At Bethany, our heart beats for family. We want to see families strong, supported, and together. But we know there are times when families face challenges—and children need care.
That’s why we’re seeking foster parents who believe in families too.
Services and information
- Traditional Foster Care
- Specialized / Therapeutic Care
- Emergency Foster Care
- Respite Foster Care
- Adoption
Requirements to become a foster parent
Parents can access the Michigan Foster Care Portal (MFCP), which is a tool that helps expedite licensure. The portal can track progress and list the next steps a foster parent needs to take. The MFCP also contains FAQs and helpful guides for parents.
In addition to online tools, foster families also receive some financial support. How much they receive depends on the child's age and needs. Parents may also be entitled to additional reimbursement that covers care costs.
Plus, foster families can access many local and state-wide support organizations and advocacy groups. These groups provide resources, answer questions, and are happy to help form connections between foster parents.
Your foster care agency is always there if you have questions or concerns. Their goal is to ensure the child's well-being and assist parents through the fostering process and beyond.
Another path you might want to consider is co-parenting with the birth parents. The end goal in most foster cases is to reunite a child with their parents or primary caregiver. You'll work with the birth parents anyway to set up visitations, and co-parenting can make your job easier.
Working further with the birth parents can also make the entire fostering process less stressful for a child. They won't feel as if they have to "choose" between homes and families.
Ratings and Reviews
Average user rating
2.0 / 5| 5 | |
| 4 | |
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| 1 |
Dec 12, 2013
Bethany Christian Services Refugee Foster Care Division is very unprofessional and has a very inexperienced staff of social workers. Many issues arose that the staff were not able to handle. Bethany does not tell you ahead of time that many of the refugee foster children DO NOT want to be in your home. But once you accept a refugee foster child there is VERY LITTLE HELP from Bethany Christian Services. You are basically on your own even if the child punches holes in your walls or smashes your car. Don't expect help from them.
Just one example (And this is just one there were MANY more) of the nightmares we experienced while working with Bethany Christian Services Refugee Foster Care:
We have two small children at home and we decided to take in a young male from central America. The social worker (a young inexperienced female with no kids of her own) thought this male youth would be a good fit for our home. This Social Worker placed a male youth in our home KNOWING THE WHOLE TIME there were allegations of sexual mis-conduct with small children in his past. After this came out it took several weeks for the refugee youth to be placed to a new home! What a horrible experience. We had the youth for about 8 months total when this information was leaked out.
Bethany Christian Services Refugee Foster Care Division from our experience is very unorganized and GREATLY LACKS communication skills.
Deeply regret using Bethany Christian Services for refugee foster care, what a total nightmare!
Read other reviews or yourself about this company, whether it's adoption for foster care this company scores pretty low and for good reasons!
Dec 04, 2013
Atrocious ~ took our money, with promise of adoption. Had photo of baby, was chosen by birth mother, 10 days to picking up baby- AND Bethany dropped us!!! lost our money, lost our hope, lost our hearts
Hard to recover from this place...beware!!!
Oct 31, 2012
HORRIBLE! I have been involved with Bethany Christian Services as a volunteer and it's been an absolute nightmare!!!! They are unorganized, disrespectful and take complete advantage of their volunteers. I thought this would be a great fit based on my christian values and being adopted myself. Also, I am an artist and there have been opportunities to volunteer and donate using my creative talents. I recently signed up as an artist for the event called, "Art Without Borders". I only received one email about the event that contained nothing more than an image of their poster. I spent a month working on a huge painting to donate all the while trying to figure out who to contact and for more details about the event and where and when to bring my art. I left several messages and got no response. It all came down to the day before the event and finally, only because I pulled out of the show due to all the frustrations including being given an hour and a half runaround with location that morning, which for those without children would be no problem but, when you have a 1 1/2 yr. old who confused the time in the car for naptime setting his entire days schedule off, it's devasting and he and my 9 yr. olds halloween was ruined. We missed out on the festivities. I received a snotty response from someone involved in the event apologizing for my "confusion" and expressing there was a "communication breakdown". No, there was no communication on their end and that quite clearly was the problem. It's unfortunate that what should have been a rewarding experience turned into an exhausting, frusterating one. I will never do volunteer work with Bethany again. My experience was AWFUL! I don't know anyone who likes to have their time, money and energy wasted.