Foster Home Licensing

Foster Care Home Licensing

Bethany for Children & Families provides supervision and guidance to applicant foster parents and/or adoptive parents in Illinois for foster home/adoption-only licensing.

Qualifications to Become a Foster Parent

Foster parents must be stable, law abiding, responsible, mature individuals. Foster parents must be at least 21 years of age. Being a foster parent requires a lot of patience and understanding. Foster children have many needs that can be challenging for an agency or for a foster family to meet. Each person has many strengths and skills and can make a unique contribution to a child's life.

Process to Become a Foster Parent

To become a foster parent, a licensing representative works with you to obtain a foster care license for your home. The training and licensing process usually takes three to six months. After licensing and training are completed, children may be placed in your home. Annual continuing education to enhance skills is also required.

Financial Assistance for Foster Parents

The reimbursement amount is based upon the type of foster care program the child is in, the age of the child, and any special needs the child may have. Foster parents receive a monthly reimbursement to cover the costs of the child's:

Food;
Shelter;
Clothing;
Personal allowances;
Personal items; and
Normal transportation costs.

The reimbursement amount is based upon the type of foster care program the child is in, the age of the child, and any special needs the child may have. Each foster child receives a medical card that pays for medical care and prescriptions. Daycare services may also be covered.