Children waiting for their forever home
Foster care services
Click on the links below to find the information you are seeking about foster care services:
What is foster care? | who can be a foster parent?
foster licensing process
If you're interested in learning more about becoming a licensed foster parent, please fill out the inquiry form here.
For general questions, contact our office.
what is foster care?
On any given day there are approximately 10,000 children in foster care in Michigan.
Foster care is a temporary living arrangement which provides a family-like setting for abused, neglected, and dependent children who need a safe place to live when their parents or another relative cannot take care of them.
Often their families face issues such as illness, alcohol or drug addiction, or homelessness.
As a foster parent, you can make a positive impact in the life of these children and their families.
When Children’s Protective Services (CPS) believes a child is not safe, and a judge agrees, CPS removes the child from where they are living and takes custody of that child. CPS finds a relative home or a non-relative foster home, if a relative is not available or approved to care for him or her. HATW has a contract with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to provide foster care services for youth referred to the agency, which includes the licensing, assessment and support of relative and non-relative caregivers. A child's length of stay in foster care varies from a few days to a year or more.
The purpose and primary goal of foster care is to allow the child’s family the time and services necessary to develop an appropriate parenting plan for their child and to resolve their family issues.
Foster care is meant to be temporary; adoption is meant to be permanent.
Because foster care is considered to be a temporary placement, it is not a good idea to become a foster parent with the expectation that you will always be able to adopt a child placed in your care. A foster parent is expected to work with the agency and child's parents in the hopes that the family will be reunited. If parental rights are terminated, though, foster parents will be considered as adoptive parents for the child.
who can be a foster parent?
Being a foster parent is a rewarding experience, although it is often challenging work. You must meet the requirements for licensing by the State of Michigan and go through initial and ongoing training. You must be willing to cooperate with this agency, the courts, and birth parents who are working towards reunification with their children.
You do not have to be married to foster a child or children.
You do not need to own your own home. A rented home or apartment is fine, as long as there is adequate bedroom space per child. The home must be free from hazards and must have a safe play area for children.
You do not need to be rich to be a foster parent. Even if you receive financial assistance, you are still eligible to provide foster care as long as you have resources to provide for your family.
Please call Hands Across The Water's main office (734-477-0135) to receive more information about becoming a licensed foster parent. To be licensed through Hands Across The Water, families need to live in Southeast Michigan.
foster care licensing process
The process of licensing a home to provide foster care is regulated by the State of Michigan.
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Your first step is to contact Hands Across The Water for more information. There may be many questions that you have and we can answer them for you.
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Next, attend a foster care orientation at this agency. The comprehensive orientation will not only review guidelines, but help illustrate what you can expect as a foster parent. Our Licensing Supervisor will be happy to answer all your questions during the orientation.
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After orientation, you will be provided with a licensing application packet. In general, the application steps are:
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Attend an upcoming orientation. Pre-registration is required - RSVP here
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Complete the foster home licensing application.
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Complete the Licensing Record Clearance Request BCAL-1326 form and take it with you to get fingerprinted.
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Attend PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information Development and Education) training. HATW will assist getting you scheduled for a convenient session. This training is required and offers valuable information to make sure you are ready to become a foster parent. Every licensed foster parent needs to complete 12 hours of PRIDE training. Once you are licensed, you have 18 months to complete an additional 12 hours of PRIDE training.
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Work with your assigned licensing worker to complete the home study.
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Your licensing worker will meet with you and your family several times in your home to complete the licensing process.
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Once you are licensed to provide foster care you will receive calls from our licensing staff on potential children who need placement. When the first foster child is placed in your home, you will be contacted by our Foster Care Recruitment Specialist to answer any questions you may have with this first placement.
This is an basic overview of the process, and you will likely have many questions along the way. Please don't hesitate to contact us.
Disclaimer: HATW shall make all written policies, procedures and program statements, required by the State of Michigan Bureau of Children & Adult Licensing –Licensing Rules for Child Placing Agencies, available for review by the public.
For more information, please contact our office by filling out the inquiry form here.