What is foster parenting?

 
Foster care is necessary when children are abused, neglected or abandoned and the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services must take temporary custody of them. Foster parents provide safe, nurturing, temporary homes to our community’s most vulnerable children.
 
The purpose of foster care is to provide a temporary home for children until their family can stabilize. Foster families are a source of strength and stability for a child. They provide a consistent and supportive environment where it may not have existed.
 
To be a foster parent, a person must:

 - Be at least 21 years of age.
 - Have sufficient income to meet the basic needs of the household.
 - Be in good physical, emotional and mental health.
 - Have no record of violent crimes, sexual crimes or any crimes against children.

A foster parent must also attend pre-service training, receive a license and meet the State of Ohio's continuing education requirements after the license is issued.

Foster parents earn a daily rate to cover room and board for foster children. This ranges from $16.28 per day for infants to $43.87 per day for older teens. Medical and dental care are also covered. The payments will vary depending on a child’s age and needs. It is also important to note that board rates increase dramatically for some therapeutic homes for children with great needs. Payments can reach much higher – Hamilton County pays as much as $125 a day for kids in highly specialized therapeutic care.

 
 

BE A FOSTER PARENT.  CALL 211 FOR INFORMATION.

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