How to Become a Foster Parent in Ohio
Ohio desperately needs foster parents, especially those willing to open their homes for older children. The lack of licensed foster families leaves many children in limbo, without a place to call home or a parent to guide them.
The child welfare system is an essential social service, especially in cases of child abuse and neglect. However, it relies on the support of the community to provide short-term care for children in the foster network.
The alternative to home care for a foster child is a group home. The institutional nature of a group home is no substitute for a foster home environment with family members. Foster parents make a lasting impact on traumatized kids who cannot safely stay with their birth families. A dedicated parent gives children their best chance to do well in school, make friends, and one day have a successful, independent life.
Are you interested in supporting foster children and families in Ohio? This guide covers essential foster parenting duties, the Ohio fostering approval process, and foster parent support resources.
Quotes about foster care
How to Become a Foster Parent in Ohio
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 Ohio can often seem unclear. FosterUSKids.org is your source for information and guidance, connecting you with a local Ohio 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 Ohio:
- Request Information About Fostering –
FosterUSKids puts the Ohio 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 Ohio, 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. For detailed guidance through every step, contact an Ohio child-placing agency now.
Requirements to Foster in Ohio
After deciding to foster, make sure your household members are on board with what will be a life-changing decision to foster. Then, educate yourself about Ohio's requirements for foster parents. Applicants who want to foster or adopt in Ohio must:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Live in a safe and stable home
- Meet home safety requirements
- Clear a background check with fingerprinting
- Provide at least three character references
- Provide ample space for a foster child in their house or apartment
- Attend foster parent orientation
- Take part in required hours of foster parent training
- Maintain financially stability
- Prove good health
- Complete the Home Study process
To apply or ensure you meet the prerequisites, there are two primary Ohio state resources. Contact the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) or a local Public Children's Service Agency (PCSAs).
If you are ready to learn more, contact a local child-placing agency to schedule foster parent information orientation. At orientation, aspiring foster parents learn more about foster parenting responsibilities, navigating the foster system, and the foster application process. If you have questions, orientation is an excellent opportunity to ask questions and meet other potential foster families.
Administrative paperwork can take some time to complete, but having everything prepared will ensure it goes smoothly. It will help the process move along if you gather financial documents ahead of time. These include tax filings and paystubs, which you will need to show as proof of financial stability.
Foster parents in Ohio must also attend 24 hours of pre-service foster parent training. This training teaches foster families about the trauma experienced by all foster children. It also covers how to provide general and specialized care to foster children.
Foster FAQs for Ohio
Learning how to be a foster parent takes time and effort, but you'll always have a place to go for support. Here are answers to a few common questions from new foster and adoptive parents in Ohio.
What is the Difference Between Fostering and Adoption?
Foster care is a temporary placement until the foster child can safely return home. Children in foster care live with a licensed foster until their birth parents or primary caregivers resolve safety issues. The state of Ohio must approve the resolution.
Most foster cases conclude by reuniting foster kids with their families. Rejoining their birth families, schools, and communities is usually in the best interests of the children.
Adoption is permanent. Some foster youth become eligible for adoption when reunification with their family is not possible. The court may terminate the parental rights of biological parents. In adoption cases, a judge finalizes the process and makes a child a legal part of an adoptive family.
Can I Choose the Age Group and Gender of My Foster or Adoptive Child?
Yes. When parents apply to become licensed, they can specify their preferences for foster child characteristics. Foster parents can request the age group, gender, and number of children they want to foster.
Although many parents want to foster young children, a large number of kids in the system are adolescents. There are also many siblings who enter foster care together and whom Ohio social services seek to keep together. Ohio has a significant need for foster parents who are willing to take in teens and sibling groups.
Who Can Become a Foster Parent in Ohio?
Adults who meet Ohio's foster parent requirements can apply for foster approval and licensing. If you meet the requirements, including having an owned or rented home with enough space for a child, you can foster in Ohio.
Foster parents can be married or single. Most importantly, adults must have time, energy, and good health to care for foster children.
Foster agencies in Ohio
General Foster FAQs
General Statistics About Foster Care
15,449
Children are in Ohio foster care in 2021
3,526
Ohio foster kids awaiting adoption
12
Median months a child will spend in Ohio's foster care system
8 Years
Median age of a child in Ohio's foster care system
States all over the U.S. desperately need more foster parents who can care for a child. Ohio is no exception. The latest 2021 report from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report in Ohio says there are:
- 15,449 children in Ohio's foster care system
- 10,505 who entered care
- 25,773 kids served by the foster care system over the course of the year
- 3,526 kids awaiting adoption
- 3,553 foster kids whose families have had parental rights terminated
Ohio's foster care system has kids of every age, with the median being eight years old. 22% of foster cases have a goal of adoption, and of those, the median foster child age is ten years old.
63% of foster care case plans currently have reunification goals to rejoin foster kids with their biological parents. 56% of foster kids live in foster homes with non-relatives. Foster kids spend a median time of just over a year, 12.2 months, in Ohio's foster care system.
Support Services for Foster Parents in Ohio
Numerous service providers are accessible to resource families, kinship caregivers, and adoptive parents in the state of Ohio. You can find child-placing agencies in Ohio by county through Ohio Foster, Adoption, and Kinship Care. You can find a local child-placing agency partner here.
OhioKAN, or the Ohio Kinship and Adoption program, connects parents with resources, support, and other services. Their program is free for adoptive families.
Check your region for foster and adoption support groups, as well. These groups can be online or in-person and allow families to connect with other fosters in the community. Foster communities tend to be supportive. You will find plenty of parents willing to provide advice or a helping hand.
Post-fostering support resources are also available in Ohio. Saying goodbye to a foster child who reunites with their birth parents can create feelings of loss for loving foster parents. Finding a grief counselor or therapist to provide support during this process can teach you new ways to cope as a caregiver.
Foster parents who need a short break from fostering have access to respite care. This temporary care is helpful for families who need a parenting break or to address an emergency.
Foster parents may also receive financial support. Ohio provides a modest daily payment to cover costs related to basic care, such as food and clothing. The payment increases slightly with older children and for kids with special needs.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME A FOSTER PARENT IN Ohio
Every day in Ohio, children from all age groups enter foster care, some with no belongings of their own, all without an adult they can depend on. Every Ohio 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 Ohio.
Still undecided? An Ohio 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 Ohio child today.
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