How to Become Foster Parents in Illinois

Foster parents have the opportunity to give a temporary home to a child. In many cases, foster care children are removed from their home because of circumstances that arise where their biological parents were unsuited to take care of them. Foster care children are placed in a temporary home, also known as substitute care, until they can be reunited with their parents. In 2007, there were 16,100 children placed in foster care in Illinois. A couple can begin the process of becoming licensed foster parents in Illinois by contacting Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Instructions

    • 1

      Contact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by calling 800-572-2300 to express interest in the process of becoming foster parents. Their office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leave a message to have a representative call you back.

    • 2

      Set up an appointment to have a licensing representative to come to your home once you have talked to a representative about the desire to become foster parents in Illinois.

    • 3

      Show the representative your home. The representative will check to see if there is enough room to accommodate a foster child or children. The representative will also check the home to see if it is safe and let you know of any safety issues that you need to address. The representative will give you a foster parent application and medical form to fill out. Everyone in the home will be subject to criminal background checks.

    • 4

      Complete the foster care application and medical form that the representative has given you. A background check is done on everyone in the home. Once your application is approved, a referral form will be sent to the Department of Children and Family Services. Then, you will be informed about on enrolling in pre-service classes that will train you to become foster parents.

    • 5

      Attend foster care pre-service classes at a designated location in Illinois. There are different locations in different cities. For a list of locations click on the training schedule icon on the foster care page of the Department of of Children and Family Services (See resource). You will be required to go to nine classes in preparation to become foster parents. Class topics vary from discipline to handling a child's problem of abuse and neglect. The class sessions are a total of 27 hours.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Become a Foster Parent in South Carolina
      There are more children entering into the foster care system than exiting. The need for foster parents continues to grow. In South Carolina, the Department of Social Services issues licenses to individuals or families to provide foster care in their
    • How to Become a Foster Parent in Dallas, Texas
      Becoming a foster parent in Dallas, Texas, gives you the opportunity to provide a safe home for a child in need and in some cases even be eligible to adopt the child in your care. Texass Department of Family and Protective Services oversees the proce
    • How to Become a Foster Parent in Maine
      Children are placed in foster care for a variety of reasons. Such reasons include abuse, neglect, substance abuse within the home or the incarceration or death of a parent, according to the American Academy of Child Psychiatry. Foster parents are exp