How to Become a Foster Parent in New Jersey

Quotes about foster care

How to Become a Foster Parent in New Jersey

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 New Jersey can often seem unclear. FosterUSKids.org is your source for information and guidance, connecting you with a local New Jersey 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 New Jersey:

1. Request Information About Fostering – 
   FosterUSKids puts the New Jersey foster care and adoption agencies at your fingertips.
2. 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.
    
3. 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.
    
4. Attend Pre-Service Training –
   Around 30 hours of formal parent training cover essential topics from what to expect to trauma-informed foster care.
    
5. 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.
    
6. 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 New Jersey, the search is not for a perfect parent but 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. Contact a New Jersey child-placing agency for detailed guidance through every step.

Requirements to Foster in New Jersey

New Jersey offers excellent support and services for foster parents in the state. Let's take a closer look at what's offered.

Foster Parent Training

To become a foster parent in New Jersey, you are required to attend PRIDE training. There are three major components to the training including pre-service training, core training, and advanced and specialized training. Within the three components, you will learn skills in five essential competency categories:

1. Nurturing and protecting children
2. Meeting the developmental needs and addressing developmental delays of children
3. Supporting the relationships between families and children
4. Making safe and nurturing family connections that will last a lifetime
5. Working as a member of a professional team

All licensed foster parents will also have access to many additional workshops, both in-person and online. This may be through e-Learning, webinars, home correspondence courses, or support groups and meetings.

Parent Support

Foster parents receive a monthly payment starting at $716, a clothing allowance, and health care coverage for the child in their care. The amount you receive varies, depending on the child's age and specific needs.

You may also be eligible for:

• Childcare services while working or attending foster parent training
• Special needs transportation reimbursement
• Infant care items
• Essential safety gear such as car seats and bicycle helmets
• Flexible funds for child's special needs

Foster FAQs for New Jersey

If you have love in your heart, time, and energy to help make a difference in a child's life, you may be thinking about becoming New Jersey foster parents. There is, however, lots to consider, before taking the plunge. Here are some FAQs about foster parenting.

Can a Foster Parent Hold a Job?

Yes. Foster parents in New Jersey can hold employment outside of the home. Child services may even cover the costs of childcare while you are at work.

How Many Children Can I Foster?

The number of children you can foster is determined during the screening and licensing process. Typically, foster parents are not approved for more than four foster children.

How Long Will the Child Stay With Me?

Foster care is considered temporary care. This may mean a stay of a few days or several months, depending on the family situation of the child.

What Happens When the Child Returns Home?

The goal for most children in foster care is to return home. When the time comes for the child's return home, the foster parent participates in the planning. They are also given the opportunity to say goodbye, even though it can be a difficult time.

Ready to Become a New Jersey Foster Parent?

Now that you have answers to how to become a foster parent in New Jersey, you can take steps to be able to foster and change the trajectory of a child's life.

If you wish to learn more or you are ready to begin your fostering journey, the process is simple just takes some time and effort.

Foster agencies in New Jersey

Select My Foster Agency in New Jersey

General Foster FAQs

General Statistics About Foster Care

• 3,188

  Children in New Jersey foster care in 2021

• 512

  Parents who lost their perental rights in 2021

• 1,359

  Children awaiting to be a adopted in 2021 in New Jersey

• 6

  Is the average age for a child in New Jersey foster care in 2021

Foster children and foster parents are often faced with emotional challenges when adjusting to a new living situation and new people in their lives. Despite the challenges, providing foster care is important and rewarding, and it's crucial that foster children have access to stable, safe, and nurturing environments.

So many kids need your help. Here is an overview of what the latest (2021) AFCARS report (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System) says about the foster system in New Jersey

• 1,534 children entered foster care as of September 30th
• 3,188 children in the foster care system
• 512 had parental rights terminated
• The average age of the children in foster care was six years old
• The Case Plan Goal for 45% of the chidden is to reunify with their parents or primary caretakers
• The Case Plan Goal for 43% of the children is to be put up for eventual adoption
• 40% of children in foster care have been placed with extended family members (because of the prioritization of kinship care in New Jersey)

Support Services for Foster Parents in New Jersey

The main role of a foster parent is to provide a temporary but safe and nurturing home for children who have been neglected, abused, or abandoned. Before applying, you should ask yourself if you have the time and energy to give a child the support and care they will need.

In recent years, the state of New Jersey has reduced the number of youth in foster care due to an increased focus on strengthening and assisting families through prevention and the prioritization of kinship care. Therefore, most of the children who need foster care in New Jersey are:

• Children and youth with complex medical, behavioral, and developmental needs
• Adolescent youths aged 13-17
• Sibling groups of four or more
• New Jersey children and youth who are cleared for adoption, have unique needs and include any of the details specified above

Requirements

If you have determined that you are ready to take on the important role of a foster parent, you should know the requirements. To become a foster parent in New Jersey, you must be:

• At least 18 years of age
• Single, married, in a civil union, or domestic partnership
• Be able to provide a safe environment for a child
• Living in a house or an apartment
• Have children or take on parenting for the first time

The Process

The process of becoming a foster parent in New Jersey involves several stages. You can expect to apply, and the following information will be diligently verified:

• Personal, employment, school, as well as other child care references
• Criminal background and a check on child abuse history
• Psychosocial evaluation
• Home inspection
• Interviews and assessments of everyone living in your household

NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME A FOSTER PARENT IN New Jersey

Every day in New Jersey, children from all age groups enter foster care, some with no belongings of their own, all without an adult they can depend on. Every New Jersey 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 New Jersey.

Still undecided? A New Jersey 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 a New Jersey child today.