Why adopt or foster?

Foster Care

What is family foster care?

Children may need foster care for a temporary or extended period of time. The primary goal during foster care is to reunite the child with his or her parents. The foster family plays an important role in the treatment plan for the child and family. Under the “team” approach, foster parents or relatives, together with the worker, try to give the specific kind of help a child and his family need for reuniting the child with the parents. When the child cannot be reunited with the parents, the children are prepared for permanent placement, with relatives or non-related adoptive families. Under certain circumstances, a foster family may adopt children in their care. When adoption isn’t possible, the goal is to prepare the youth for independent living.  (taken from DHS website)

What is the licensing process like?

The first step is to pick your licensing agency.  In West Michigan, licensing agencies include (in alphabetical order): Bethany Christian Services, Catholic Charities, D.A. Blodgett, DHS, Lutheran Social Services, Wellspring Lutheran Services and Pathways.

Download a helpful resource on choosing an agency (PDF).

Once you have picked an agency, you’ll need to attend one of the agency’s orientations.  Upon completion of the orientation, you will receive an application packet.  After completing the application packet (which includes fingerprinting and references), you may begin your certification training.  These are called PRIDE training, and are typically offered on a monthly basis.  In addition, you’ll need to complete a home study where your licensing worker will visit your home and ensure it meets the state licensing requirements.  Once the application is returned from the state, your license will be opened!  In general, it is about 3-6 months start to finish for your license to be complete.

What would this look like for my family?

How will this affect my bio kids?  Am I too old/young?  What if I’m single?  Do I have to own a house?  Can I/we be foster parents if we work full time?  Can I take my foster children to church with me?  How do you let them go? We don’t have any “stuff” for little kids any more – are there any resources out there to help us?  What if I only want to take in elementary aged girls?  Can you say no when you get a call for a child?

Do you have questions like these?  If you’re considering foster care, I hope you do!!  We’d love to sit down with you and answer your questions.  Contact us and we’ll be happy to set up a time to talk either in person, by phone or by email – whatever you prefer.

Adoption

By definition, adoption is providing a permanent home and forever family to a child. It’s our goal that adoptive families do not walk this journey alone. We provide learning, sharing, support and mentoring opportunities to area adoptive families.

There are several types of adoption including domestic infant, older child, foster-to-adopt and international. We can connect you with a family that’s one step ahead in the process. While we don’t recommend or refer adoption agencies, we maintain a list of agencies that MOSAIC families have used or are using. A great place to begin is by asking questions and listening to adoption stories of area families. Bathe this journey of a lifetime in prayer and ask God if he desires you to adopt. Take that first step and contact MOSAIC to get connected with a family.