Foster Parenting in Montgomery County

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Department of Health and Human Services

Foster Parenting in Montgomery County
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What is foster parenting?

Foster parents are people who choose to become the substitute families for children in need. Foster parenting is both a responsibility and an opportunity. It is one of the highest forms of community service. Foster children require more than "custodial" care. Foster parents provide food, clothing, and shelter, plus the love, stability, guidance, and discipline these children need until they are reunited with their families or are adopted. Foster parents give children their best efforts even though the child is with them only temporarily.

Who are the children in need of foster parents?

Last year almost two hundred children in Montgomery County were temporarily separated from their parents. These children come from a cross section of the community: from a variety of social and economic backgrounds, from every race, religion, and nationality. Their ages range from infancy to young adulthood. They may come from homes where there has been family breakdown. All have been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused and/or severely neglected.

There is now an urgent need for families who are interested in fostering:

One or more children 13 years of age or older.

Teen mothers and their babies/young children.

Sibling groups of any age.

Children from birth through age five years.

One child of any age with complex behavior and/or medical needs.

Yes, I want to learn more about becoming a foster parent!