New foster parents require preparation and training to meet the needs of children in their care. HGS uses the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting/Group Preparation (MAPP) pre-certification training program. Current foster parents will need to attend additional training sessions throughout the year that supplement and maintain foster parent certification.

The timeline can vary, but the average is 90 days. During this time, a foster child’s needs and a foster family’s strengths are carefully considered. The process may be expedited if you’re willing to care for a wider age range of children (especially from 10 –18 years of age), a sibling group of three orContinue reading →

Experience is not required to be a foster parent. The House provides ongoing training and support. A supervising social worker will be available for you from the beginning of your assessment and throughout your journey as a Foster Parent.

There is no greater reward than helping a child thrive and grow into a well-adjusted socially responsible, self-sufficient, stable adult. By doing so, you will have the joy of knowing that you have changed that child’s life forever.

Children enter the foster care system because they or their families are experiencing extreme turmoil. Serious cases may include one or more of the following: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, incarceration of the parent, or abandonment. These circumstances make it unsafe for the child to remain in their biological home.

You do have control over which children are placed in your home. However, the broader your parameters are the more quickly you will receive a placement.

The length of stay varies with each family and depends on the child’s family situation, the child’s needs, and your family’s goals and capacities. By design, foster care is meant to be a temporary living situation until the child is either able to be reunited with their biological family or adopted.

It’s true — you will get attached, and it will be challenging when children leave. But these children need the love and care foster parents provide when they open their hearts and homes.

Each child brings with them their own unique strengths and abilities depending on their traumatic experiences. They can view foster care as a safe shelter and seek mentors in foster parents and caseworkers. With the right support, teens are able to succeed in school, participate in community activities, hold part-time jobs, and have plans forContinue reading →

The primary goal is to reunite children with their biological families. While the child is in foster care, HGS offers services and creates plans for the biological family to regain custody of their children.