What is foster care?
Foster care is a safe, loving, temporary home for children who must live away from their family due to abuse, neglect, or ungovernable behavior. Children and youth who enter foster care come from culturally diverse families, communities and backgrounds.
The goal of foster care is to safely reunite children with their permanent families whenever possible.
Utah Youth Village seeks prospective foster parents who can:
- work in partnership with DHS as part of the child’s team, and
- become prepared through on-going training to gain greater skill in meeting the diverse needs of children who enter foster care.
What is the role of a foster parent?
Foster parents help support families in a time of crisis. They work as a team with the child’s case worker; they are dedicated to protecting children and, offering hope to each child’s family. Their impact reaches far beyond the child in their care; they provide a positive influence across the community. They love, coach, mentor, wipe tears, celebrate, support and encourage the child in their home.
Foster parenting is filled with both challenges and opportunities. It can be challenging to parent children who come with difficult histories. Becoming a foster parent is an opportunity to care for children who can benefit greatly from your love and support.
As a foster parent you can make a difference for a child in your community by changing lives one child at a time. Foster parents believe in investing in the future of our children. If you think foster parenting might be right for you and your family, please read more about becoming a foster parent in Utah.
Whether you are married, single, gay or straight, divorced or widowed; if you live in an apartment or a house; have a stay-at-home partner or not; you can be a foster parent. The state provides financial reimbursement for the cost of caring for foster children.
