Children placed in foster care have been removed from their homes because of neglect, abuse, abandonment or other endangering circumstances. Often, these kids are confused, hurt, scared and in need of support. Foster parents provide a healthy, stable environment for these children until a safe permanent home can be arranged. As of March 2009, more than 10,000 children were in foster care environments in Arizona. If willing and able to provide secure accommodations for Arizona children undergoing a difficult transition, consider becoming certified as a foster parent with the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Requirements

Arizona foster parents must meet several requirements to ensure they are financially, physically and emotionally secure enough to provide children with the care they need. Foster parents can be single, married, widowed or divorced and do not need to be homeowners; however, they must prove that they can provide a safe, stable environment. All foster parents must be legal U.S. residents and at least 21 years old. In addition to proving financial security, all applicants must have reliable transportation and a telephone or comparable means of communication. Successful applicants must also have a clean criminal history. Each prospective foster parent must also provide a current medical statement for consideration.

Orientation

Those interested in becoming foster parents must attend a foster parenting orientation session sanctioned by the state. This free, two-hour orientation discusses the process of becoming a foster parent in Arizona as well as the challenges associated with the role. The orientation sessions are information sessions only; no formal decision needs to be made at the time of the orientation. Applicants do not have to register for these sessions. The frequency of these sessions depends on the county in which they take place. For instance, Maricopa County offers several orientation sessions each month, whereas Pima, Gila and Pinal counties only offer one or two sessions per month. For more information about orientation or foster parenting in general, call the Arizona Division of Children, Youth and Families' toll-free hotline at 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU.

Application Process

Each prospective foster parent will need to fill out the required application, which can be acquired from the Arizona Department of Economic Security's website. In addition to a completed, accurate application, applicants will have to provide supporting documents including financial information, a statement of health from each applicant's physician, fingerprints for a criminal background and protective records checks and personal references. Applicants must complete pre-service training successfully, which typically takes 30 hours over 10 three-hour sessions. These training sessions provide in-depth discussions of the role and responsibilities as well as the challenges of being a foster parent. Each applicant is matched with an agency specialist who will examine the applicant's current household environment and determine how well this environment could support foster children. The assessment will include in-depth interviews with the applicant and each member of the applicant's household.

Licensing and Certification Decision and Placement

All applications and supporting documents, pre-service training certificates and agent-performed household assessments will be submitted to the Department of Economic Security, which will make the final determination of foster parent licensing and certification. Once certified, your agency specialist will work with you to match children to your home environment. For each child who is placed within your home, you will be provided with his medical and educational needs, any visitation schedule with parents and other family members and any other special needs.

Source:

Steps to Be a Foster or Adoptive Parent

Arizona Children's Association

Resource:

Arizona Foster Care Information Form