What is Foster Care and Adoption from Foster Care
Foster care is the provision of a substitute parental care for a planned period of time to a child
who has been temporarily separated from his/her biological or legal parents, guardian or
custodian. Reasons for the separation may include the inability of the child’s parent, guardian, or
custodian to provide appropriate care including the provision of food, shelter, security and safety,
guidance, and comfort to a child age birth to twenty-one.
While a child is in foster care, the Children and Family Team guided by the team facilitator will
develop and carry out a plan for the child. The primary goal of each plan is to create
permanency for the child. Permanency may be achieved by strengthening the family unit so that
the child may return home, finding another relative or adult with close ties to the child who will
provide care for the child to adulthood, freeing the child for adoption, or providing a planned
permanent living arrangement for the child until he/she reaches adulthood.
Adoption from foster care creates forever families for children in the foster care system. Many
children with special needs are available for adoption. These children may be older (grade school
through teens); may have physical, emotional, or mental disabilities; or may be part of a sibling
group that should be adopted together. Usually, these children are in the care of a state foster
care system. In North Dakota, children being placed from the foster care system are placed
through private agencies under contract to the state through a collaborative program called
Adults Adopting Special Kids (AASK). Foster parents will adopt a majority of these children. When
a child does not have an identified adoptive family, national, regional, and state adoption
exchanges may assist in linking prospective parents with these children. Some of North Dakota's
waiting children are featured on the national adoption exchange. In many cases, financial
assistance in the form of adoption subsidies is available to help parents with the legal, medical,
and living costs associated with caring for a child with special needs.
Becoming a Foster Parent
Persons 21 years of age and older may apply to become licensed foster parents. Once the
License Application to Provide Family Foster Care has been completed and returned to the
licensing agency, a licensing social worker will contact the prospective foster parents and the
homestudy process will begin. The Mutual Family Assessment Homestudy includes but is not
limited to the following:
 References from a minimum of three unrelated individuals of the applications choosing –
recommended one work-related acquaintance, one personal acquaintance, one
acquaintance from a social or religious affiliation
 Compliance with the Criminal History Background Check as mandated by the Federal
Government for all members of the household 18 and older
 PRIDE Pre-Service Foster and Adoptive Parents Training – 27 hour course
 Fire Safety and Prevention Training – Two hour course
 Completion of the Fire Safety Self-Declaration and fire evacuation map
 Home Safety Inspection by local Fire Marshall (required by some licensing agencies)
 Completion of the Declaration of Good Health by each family member
 Psychological Evaluation (not always required)
 Mutual Family Assessment – Based on the competencies presented in the PRIDE
Foster/Adopt Parent Training, a licensed social worker will work to gain a better
understanding of the family and mutually determine if foster care is right for them