Make a Difference: Become a Foster Parent
Every child deserves a safe, loving family with whom they can grow, learn, and thrive. Right now, over 500 children and teens in Delaware are waiting for someone like you to step up and make a lasting impact in their lives.
By becoming a foster parent, you have the chance to:
- Provide Stability: Be a source of comfort and security for a child who has been separated from their biological family.
- Create Lifelong Connections: Build a relationship that can change both your lives forever.
- Provide Unconditional Support: Help children and teens overcome challenges and reach their full potential.
Being a foster parent is a temporary but vital role.
Fostering gives children a safe haven during challenging times while helping them stay connected to their families and communities.
You don’t have to be perfect to be the right fit for a child.
We need people from all backgrounds, life experiences, and walks of life—whether you’re single, married, LGBTQ+, or retired. What matters most is your commitment to providing care, understanding, and a sense of belonging.
Training, resources, and support are available every step of the way.
You’ll join a compassionate community of foster and adoptive parents making a difference one child at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can be a foster parent?
Foster parents come from a wide range of backgrounds. They can be married or single and with or without children. Foster parents must be over 21 years of age, have adequate space in their homes, pass a background check, provide medical information, and have a stable source of income.
What does it mean to be a foster parent?
Foster care is designed to be temporary, with a primary goal of reunification with biological family. Foster parents are responsible for providing the same care to children that any parent would provide. This includes meeting the child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs, supporting their education, ensuring access to medical care, and fostering a sense of belonging.
Foster parents also collaborate with social workers, attend required training, and may facilitate contact with the child’s biological family when appropriate. A child’s need to maintain a relationship with their biological family is vital. Therefore, foster parents must hold compassion and empathy for biological parents who have faced struggles while raising their children.
Who are our children?
Children in foster care, spanning all ages, races, and genders, often enter the system due to traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, or the loss of their primary caregivers. These children require support, stability, and understanding to heal from their past and develop a sense of safety and belonging.
How will you be supported?
We equip our foster parents with the intensive preparation and significant support needed to be successful. Our Resource Parent Preparation Classes will provide information about our children, what they have experienced, and the best approaches for helping them through their challenges. One of our Child and Family Specialists will work with you during the assessment process and will be with you when a child joins your family, providing ongoing support.
Becoming a Foster Parent Step-by-Step
1
Attend Info Session
or schedule time
2
Submit your Interest Form
3
Attend Parent Preparation Classes
4
Assessment Process
5
Determination
Take the First Step
Whether you’re ready to take the next step or just exploring, this session is the perfect opportunity to get your questions answered.
We look forward to seeing you then!
Interested in becoming an adoptive parent, foster parent, or respite provider?
- Join our Virtual Information Night!
- First Tuesday of every month
