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Foster Care

Our Foster Care program provides safe, nurturing homes for youth removed from their birth families due to neglect and/or abuse.

YOUTH ELIGIBILITY

DCFS-referred youth ages 0-21

SERVICE AREAS

Traditional | Specialized | Treatment family foster home

PHONE

(312) 346-3383  office
(773) 931-6825  24/7 crisis line

Foster Parent Interest & Referral Form

*Required field

    Internships

    Now hiring interns!

     

    Serving Chicago as well as Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Kane, Lake, and Will counties, our Foster Care program takes every measure to ensure that the foster child is provided with supportive foster parents and caseworkers that are sensitive to childhood trauma. In addition, youth in care receive additional supports in the form of individual and family therapies. Our goal is always the child’s successful transition to a stable, long-term placement—also called “permanency”—whether it is with their birth family, guardianship, or an adoptive family.

    Become a Foster Parent

    Yes, YOU can become a Foster Parent

    If nurturing is in your nature, fostering a child can be a powerful way to help families in your community. And there isn’t just one type of foster parent—our foster parents’ backgrounds reflect our greater Chicago community and help in a variety of ways:

    Who can be a Foster Parent?

    • Married/partnered, single, divorced, or widowed
    • Employed or retired
    • Homeowners or renters
    • All racial and ethnic backgrounds
    • LGBTQIA+
    • Currently a parent/guardian or without children

    Foster Parent qualifications

    • 21+ years of age
    • Social and home assessment
    • Foster parent training
    • Criminal background check
    • Be financially stable
    • Be in good physical and mental health

    Benefits and support for Foster Parents

    • Respite hours every month
    • 24/7 Lawrence Hall crisis line
    • In-house mental health therapists, educational liaisons, and occupational therapy resources
    • Training in de-escalation and crisis intervention
    • Foster parent mentors, support group, and treatment team including a Family Support Specialist to liaise between foster and birth families and promote reunification
    • Cross-program support for the whole family, such as youth mentoring and employment development

    Who needs foster care?

    • Youth who have experienced trauma or neglect
    • Children of newborn age up to age 21
    • Individual children or sibling groups
    • All racial and ethnic backgrounds
    • LGBTQIA+ youth
    • Children with special needs

    I’d been hoping to get adopted since I moved in (to my foster parent’s home). And when I got the phone call saying I got adopted…that day was just everything. Literally everything.

    Jashayla

    Lawrence Hall & Be Strong Families presents our first Foster Parent café series

    Connecting Hearts: Foster Parent Cafés in November, December, and January

    Connect with others who understand the unique joys and challenges of foster parenting. This is an opportunity to bond with fellow Foster Parents, learn family-based communication strategies, and which essential services are available to you.

    Read about the two virtual and one in-person cafés here, and register at the links below.

    November 8 from 6–8 PM online café registration.

    December 4 from 6–8 PM online café registration.

    January 8 from 6–8 PM in-person café registration.

    JOIN OUR TEAM

    Become a part of Lawrence Hall and make an impact.