Thinking about becoming a foster parent but not sure where to start? You’re not alone. This page answers the most common questions about becoming a foster parent, including who can foster, what the process looks like, and what kind of support is available.
When families are unable to safely take care of their children due to abuse, neglect, drug use, parents being in jail or passing away, serious behavior problems or other serious family challenges, the courts will step in and place youth in foster care to keep them safe. KVC Kansas and the Kansas other foster care case management providers do not decide when youth are placed in foster care.
Foster care is a temporary solution, offering a safe and supportive place for children and teens while their parents or caregivers work hard to overcome the challenges that necessitated foster care.
During this time, child welfare professionals focus on finding relatives, non-related kinship caregivers like teachers or neighbors, foster parents or other caregivers to support the youth until they can safely return to their family.
The ultimate goal of foster care is to reunite families as soon as safely possible.
Children and teens enter foster care when they’re no longer able to live safely at home due to abuse, neglect, substance use or other serious family challenges. Foster care is a temporary solution, and the ultimate goal is to help children and teens reunite with their families as soon as safely possible.
The main goal of foster care is safe reunification. Foster care is a temporary solution, providing a safe and supportive place for children and teens while their parents or caregivers work hard to overcome the challenges that led to foster care. Our team supports families in learning new skills, addressing substance use or mental health challenges and healing, so kids can safely return home.
Foster parents play a crucial role in partnering with children and teens’ families on this journey. They offer a safe, caring environment while families work to resolve their challenges. They help youth feel supported, cared for and stable during a tough time, and work closely with child welfare professionals to ensure the youth’s needs are met. Learn more about the role foster parents play in safe family reunification here.
According to the latest data from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, more than one in three youth in foster care are between the ages of 13 and 18. These young people often face unique challenges, and they deserve foster parents who can offer understanding, patience and stability during a critical time in their lives. Hear directly from real foster parents about what they want you to know about fostering teens in this article.
Sibling groups also make up a significant portion of the youth in foster care. Keeping siblings together is so important because it helps provide youth with a sense of comfort and continuity during a very hard time.
At KVC Kansas, we’re actively recruiting foster parents willing to care for youth of all ages, especially teens, sibling groups and youth with significant medical or mental health needs. You can foster a child or teen at any stage of life, regardless of your relationship status, gender identity, income level or where you live. What matters most is how much you care. We have options that work in your life, right where you are – for exactly who you are.
Reunification is the most common outcome for youth and families experiencing foster care. In 2023, more than 80,000 youth nationwide were safely reunified with their families after foster care. This equates to about 44% of the total youth who exited foster care in 2023. Over 1,500 youth, or 53% of youth in Kansas foster care, safely reunified with their families in 2024.
The average length of time a child is in foster care is about a year, but much of this is dependent on how long it takes for the family to resolve their conflicts or disruptions and demonstrate that their home is safe for their child to return home.
Nationally, about 343,077 youth are in foster care according to the latest data.
In Kansas, there are 5,694 youth in foster care according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Despite the decreasing number of children in foster care, Kansas urgently needs more compassionate adults to become foster parents.
Due to population centers, most youth in foster care live in Sedgwick, Johnson, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. However, youth in rural areas need foster parents in their local areas so they can stay connected to their schools, support systems and communities.
Check out the map below to see how many youth are in foster care in every Kansas county according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
At KVC Kansas, we recruit, train and support foster parents throughout central and eastern Kansas. Click the button below to speak with our team and get your foster parenting questions answered.
When a child or teen enters foster care, social workers try to find a temporary home for them with a relative. If that’s not an option, workers seek out a non-related kin or familiar caregiver such as a neighbor, family friend, teacher, coach or other acquaintance with whom the youth is familiar. If there are available caregivers who are already familiar to the child, traditional foster care becomes an option. To learn more about the different types of foster care, click here.
Anyone can spread the word about child abuse and neglect prevention. Do you know someone who’d make a great foster or adoptive parent? Refer them to this page. KVC Kansas offers a referral bonus once they get licensed. Also, sharing articles on social media is also a great way to get the word out about the need for more caring families. We publish frequently on a wide variety of topics related to child welfare. Check out a host of articles you can share here, and visit our Facebook page for more shareable content.
Volunteering is also an excellent way to help children in need. Volunteers can provide temporary care for children, help with fundraisers, organize events and much more. Click here to check some of our upcoming events near you. If you’re pressed for time, donating is also helpful. Donations don’t have to be monetary: school supplies, clothing, food and more are always needed.
Yes, volunteering doesn’t have to be limited to sorting items or helping out with an event. If you have a creative pursuit, you can use it to raise awareness about the need for more foster parents and even connect children with families. Click here to let us know how you’d like to help!
Foster parents provide safe and supportive homes for children and teens. Children come into foster care for many different reasons, all of which are not their fault. Foster parents need to provide care and love while keeping reunification in mind. Reunification is when a child can safely return to their birth family that has worked to stabilize their home.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
While some parts of the foster parent training and licensing process can take a while, there are things you can check off the list right now! A few questions you can answer immediately are:
-Am I 21 or older?
-Do I have reliable transportation?
-Is my home a safe environment with enough space for another child (a separate bed for each child)?
-Do I agree to positive parenting techniques and non-physical discipline for children?
Worried about the cost of fostering? Don’t fret! Typically, becoming a foster parent requires little to no cost. Many people foster children on modest incomes. In addition, you will be provided with a monthly stipend as a foster parent and the state of Kansas will cover medical care for the child. You need to show that you have a stable income and that you aren’t receiving any type of financial assistance, including but not limited to food stamps, Medicaid, TANF or Section 8 Housing.
All foster parents in Kansas must undergo background checks to help ensure a child’s safety. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation will check your information using the Kansas Child Abuse and Neglect Information System. Everyone in your household must undergo a background check as well.
You must enroll and complete the MAPP Foundations (Model Approach for Partnerships in Parenting) training. This is a ten-week course required by the state for all potential foster parents. The class will help you build skills for caring for children who have experienced neglect or abuse and, as a result, may have physical, emotional or educational difficulties. This is also a great opportunity to decide if fostering is right for you.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
You must be able to pass a child abuse check and fingerprint criminal background check through the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Any convictions listed on the Declaration of No Prohibitive Offenses for KDHE Licensure would prohibit you from becoming a foster or adoptive parent. In some cases, even a diversion for the listed offenses will also prohibit you from becoming a foster or adoptive parent. You and your home must be able to meet KDHE guidelines and have sufficient income to care for a child. In addition, licensure of your home is at the discretion of your sponsoring agency (KVC) and KDHE.
Full licensure can take up to six months. If you complete all required trainings and application paperwork in a timely manner, you could potentially receive a temporary license to take placement within 30 to 60 days of your application submission to KDHE.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
Here’s a list of questions to ask yourself when considering becoming a foster parent to a child in need. This questionnaire is intended to be a starting point and a tool for personal reflection or discussion with your family. The questionnaire also highlights the core attitudes and behaviors that foster parents must demonstrate.
Fostering gives you the opportunity to make a lasting difference in a child’s life as well as give added purpose to your life. The temporary care you give will provide a safe and stable environment for a child experiencing crisis such as abuse, neglect or other family challenges.
Additional personal benefits:
Teaching is a great way to enrich the mind of a child. The trauma that caused a child to enter foster care, such as abuse or neglect, and the further trauma a child may experience when being removed from his or her birth family can have long-lasting psychological effects. Teaching ideas and skills you are familiar with can help redirect a child’s mindset to a more positive place.
Who doesn’t like a little variety in their day? Foster parents seldom experience the same day twice. While this may be off-putting for some, it’s really a great thing! Foster parents get to interact with children and families from several different backgrounds. This opens the door to discovering new cultures, traditions and values.
Giving unconditional love to a child in need can shape you into a stronger person emotionally and spiritually. Since most placements of children in a foster home are temporary, it can be very difficult to see a child return home. Though it can be heartbreaking, the main goal of foster care is to reunite a child with his or her family. The entire process of fostering, from taking a child in to seeing them go back home, can cause a natural range of emotions to swell. Experiencing and managing these emotions makes you an all-around stronger person who feels more meaning and satisfaction in life.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
The amount of time a foster parent cares for a child in foster care varies from a few days to a couple years. On average, we safely reunite most children with their families within 12 months, and thus the child’s time in foster care is less than one year. More than half of children who enter foster care are safely reunited with their families. If reunification is not possible due to safety concerns, we will look for an adoptive family to provide continued care, love and stability for the child. It is common for children to be adopted by their foster parents because they have bonded, but every child’s situation is different.
Yes, many foster parents successfully work full-time jobs while caring for children and teens in need. If you are caring for a younger child, the Kansas Department for Children and Families may cover a daily rate to pre-approved daycares. Contact your Family Service Coordinator for a list of approved daycares in your area.
Yes! Foster parents can specify the age, gender and number of children they are willing to care for and if they are able to care for a child with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities or other special needs. We call you and tell you more about the child’s needs, and you have the opportunity to decide whether you can provide care for that child.
The foster parent training and licensing process is provided at no cost to foster parents. While foster parents volunteer their time to care for a child in foster care, KVC provides a small daily subsidy to support the needs of each child, paid monthly through direct deposit. Each child receives a medical card when they enter foster care, and some children are also covered under their family’s private insurance. Clothing allowances for all children and childcare for those qualifying are also important benefits. Your KVC care manager will assist as able with items such as back-to-school supplies, holiday & birthday gifts as well as other individual needs.
Maintaining relationships with the child and his/her family is also a role of a foster parent. With the goal of a safe reunification, a foster parent must respect the connections and keep the child’s life disrupted as little as possible.
Yes, you can share preferences for the age and gender of children you feel best prepared to care for. Children in foster care range from birth to age 21, with the greatest need currently for teens and for families able to care for sibling groups.
The number of children you can foster at one time is determined by licensing requirements, including available space in your home. Each child must have adequate bedroom space, and a licensing specialist will review your home and help determine how many children can be placed safely and comfortably.
The first goal for each child is to reintegrate them back into a safe and stable environment with their birth family. When reunification is possible, we strive to accomplish this within one year of a child’s removal from the home. The length of stay in a foster home and in foster care varies depending on the progress of the case plan.
Yes, children in Kansas foster care can attend day care. The Kansas Department for Children and Families will cover a daily rate to pre-approved daycares. Contact your FSC for a list of approved daycares in your area.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families and the parents of the child in care can approve or deny a request from the foster parents to take a child out of town on vacation with them. If the request is approved, a travel letter will be written and sent with the child stating they are in Kansas state custody and they are approved to leave the state. This letter will need to stay with the child and foster parents in case of emergencies. If the request is not approved, the child will be placed in respite care.
Children in foster care have medical and dental provided for them. Clothing vouchers are available every six months for children to assist with the purchase of new clothes. KVC also has a clothing closet for foster parents to use. Some fees will need to be covered by the foster parent, but other fees such has extracurricular activities can be covered by KVC. Contact your FSC for more information.
Absolutely! There are no restrictions to fostering if you’re in a same-sex marriage/relationship or identify as LGBTQ.
It may, but the first goal for children in foster care is reunification with their biological family. When a child’s parental rights have been terminated and a child is legally free for adoption, 89 percent of the time children are adopted by their foster parents.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
Yes, as long as all the pets in the home are up to date on their vet records. We do not have any pet restrictions.
An emergency placement home is a home that can take a child who is in Police Protective Custody for up to 72 business hours. To learn more, please contact Mary Pitnick, Programs Coordinator for the Department of Corrections, at mary.pitnick@jocogov.org.
That is case specific and depends on the crime. No crimes involving a person or certain felony convictions can be on your record if you wish to foster.
Absolutely! Anyone can be a foster parent who meets the required guidelines.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
Currently, we are not accepting adopt only families who wish to adopt a baby. This is because the children already legally free for adoption are older children. In order to be considered as an “adopt only” family with KVC, a family must be willing to commit to the children who are currently awaiting adoption. These children include:
-Children over the age of 12
-Children who are part of a sibling group
-Children who have moderate/sever physical, medical, emotional, behavioral and or educational needs.
Check their accreditation – An accredited foster care agency is one that has a stamp of approval from a national accrediting body for meeting identified performance standards over time. The Joint Commission and the Council on Accreditation are two of the most highly regarded accrediting bodies for foster care.
The length of time they’ve been providing services – The length of time an agency has been operating is another factor to consider when selecting a sponsoring organization. Agencies that have been serving communities longer tend to offer a broader range of services, providing more opportunities for support which may be reflective of their service quality. An agency’s consistency in successfully matching children and families is one of the most important aspects when it comes to making the right choice, and the longer an agency has been operating, the more experience they have in this area.
Their history of dedication to children and families – The purpose of Kansas foster care is to provide a safe, nurturing place for a child while his or her birth family resolves issues and learns healthy skills so the child can safely return home to them. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, several factors are important in an agency’s ability to reunite children in foster care with their birth families. A major component of this is the interaction and support an agency gives to a foster parent. An agency’s commitment to its foster parents in working towards a safe family reunification for each child is vitally important. The foster care agency should treat you as one of its partners in achieving permanency for the child, and work hand-in-hand with you from start to finish.
KVC Kansas provides foster parent training and licensing throughout the Eastern half of Kansas. Check to see if we serve your community in the map below. KVC serves the counties highlighted in green and teal.
If KVC does not serve your area, visit the Children’s Alliance of Kansas website to find an agency that offers foster parenting training and licensing in your county.
Perhaps the hardest part of foster parenting is also the most rewarding and uplifting. Helping children reunify with their family and go back home brings immense joy, despite the difficulty involved with saying goodbye to children you’ve become attached to.
Kyle Boeses, a KVC foster parent, says, “It’s all hard and it’s all beautiful… it’s also the most rewarding thing we have ever done. To watch children win battles they have struggled with—when they overcome fears they’ve had previously—are huge wins in our life. Little things like getting cleared from a particular therapy or support service are things we celebrate.”
MAPP Foundations (Model Approach for Partnerships in Parenting) is required for all potential foster and adoptive families by Kansas Statute. The class is meant to build skills for parenting abused and neglected children who experience behavioral, emotional, physical, or educational challenges. MAPP also helps the participant decide if fostering and/or adopting is right for their family, and it helps KVC determine if your family is able to meet a child’s needs by fostering or adopting.
Want to take the next step? Click here and a recruiter will contact you!
MAPP Foundations allows each family to have two absences total but meetings during weeks two and five are mandatory. That means one spouse/partner can miss two meetings if the other attends all or they both can miss one.
Your MAPP leaders will determine the best way for you to make up the information that you missed. If a family misses one of these meetings, they will be required to make up the class during another MAPP session.
Please note that even with the make-up session, this would still count toward the two absences.
Yes. Before you are eligible to receive a foster care license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), you will be required to complete:
Once you become a foster parent, you will be required to complete continuing education hours based on the level of care you provide. These hours must be completed prior to renewing your foster care license each year.
Through our dedicated foster parent training team, KVC offers many training opportunities throughout the year to make it simple and convenient for foster parents to complete their required training hours. Learn more about these training opportunities and find additional resources at kvckansas.org/training.
No. You may contact KVC at a later time if you do not wish to license immediately. However, you may be required to re-take MAPP Foundations if you do not begin the licensing process within a specific time frame. Ask your MAPP leader or licensing specialist if you have any specific questions.
No. KVC cannot guarantee placement. There are many children of all ages waiting for foster homes. KVC works to match the needs of the children with the skills and abilities of the foster parents.
Check out this blog to get tips for your first foster care placement: 7 Questions to Ask Before Your First Foster Care Placement
We proudly offer virtual foster parent training classes to help busy adults and families continue their foster parenting journey. Contact us by submitting this form to learn more about our upcoming virtual training class opportunities.
Additionally, the Deciding Together (DT) training is designed to accommodate families with rotating shifts (over the road truck drivers, medical personnel, first responders, etc.) or families living in very rural areas. It can be used with one to three families in homes or at another location. The leader will schedule seven consultations (meetings) with your family, at least seven days apart at a mutually agreeable location and time. Your family will have workbooks to complete in between each of the consultations.
Contact us by submitting this form and learn more about the training options available in your area.
All adults residing in the home (age 18 years and older) who will participate in the parenting and care of children are required to take MAPP Foundations together. This does include your adult children in the home who will spend a significant amount of time with the children. If you have biological children in your home who are in college and/or working full-time who will not be spending much time with the children, they do not need to attend the meetings. They may be invited to attend a class or the MAPP panel.
If you completed MAPP Foundations training more than 5 years ago, you are encouraged to take a refresher course, whether or not you previously had a child placed in your home.
If it has been 10 years or more since you completed the training, you will need to retake the full MAPP Foundations training.
To determine the best next step and available training options, please contact a foster parent recruiter, who can walk you through the process.
Sarah Nielsen, a current KVC foster parent, said: “After the first few classes, I realized how necessary and beneficial they are. The information-packed classes got my husband and me thinking and discussing how our family could best serve children in foster care.”
Cristin Hartranft, another foster parent said: “We couldn’t believe we had to take weeks of classes to help these sweet children that needed a home. We have kids so couldn’t imagine what more we needed to learn. We were proved wrong after the first class. The classes helped prepare us for the trauma these kids have been through. Afterwards, we wanted more! The teachers and material were incredibly helpful!”
Yes. KVC’s Admissions Department will contact you to request the placement of a child in your home, and this is an opportunity for you to ask questions and find out more about the child or children. You may say, “No” to any placement for any reason. KVC has a database meant to alert Admissions staff to what types of children you are interested in fostering. You can only accept children who fall within your licensing capacity.
KVC considers our foster parent program to be a volunteer service; however, we reimburse at a rate of $20 per day for each child. The reimbursement is paid monthly via direct deposit and meant to subsidize for care of the child. Each of the children in the custody of the State of Kansas receives a medical card when they are removed from their family home. Some children are also covered under their family’s private insurance.
We require our foster parents to become actively involved in the work that is done to help reintegrate a child with their birth family. This may involve contact with the family during parent-child visitations, case planning conferences, school meetings and events, court hearings, and many other instances as long as it is in the best interest of the child and foster parent. This topic is covered in MAPP Foundations classes.
Each child in state custody has a visit with their family once a week. These visits are often at the KVC office, but can also be in the community. Visits are typically one hour long, but are often longer as the child moves closer to being safely reintegrated. The visits are scheduled and supervised by the child’s case worker. The foster parent may be asked to transport to and from visits.
Each foster parent has an assigned Family Service Coordinator to assist with day-to-day questions and emergencies. Also, we are available 24/7 by phone to assist with emergencies.
The immediate goal for each child is to reintegrate them into a safe and stable environment with their birth family. The child’s placement in foster care depends on the progress of the case plan.
Yes, children in Kansas foster care can attend day care. The Kansas Department for Children and Families will cover a daily rate to pre-approved daycares. Contact your FSC for a list of approved daycares in your area.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families and the parents of the child in care can approve or deny a request from the foster parents to take a child out of town on vacation with them. If the request is approved, a travel letter will be written and sent with the child stating they are in Kansas state custody and they are approved to leave the state. This letter will need to stay with the child and foster parent in case of emergencies. If the request is not approved, the child will be placed in respite care.
Children in foster care have medical and dental provided for them. Clothing vouchers are available every six months for children to assist with the purchase of new clothes. KVC also has a clothing closet for foster parents to use. Some fees will need to be covered by the foster parent, but other fees such has extracurricular activities can be covered by KVC. Contact your FSC for more information.
Children in foster care have medical and dental provided for them. Clothing vouchers are available every six months for children to assist with the purchase of new clothes. KVC also has a clothing closet for foster parents to use. Some fees will need to be covered by the foster parent, but other fees such has extracurricular activities can be covered by KVC. Contact your FSC for more information.
Confidentiality laws prohibit us from releasing further information about the child after they leave your care. If the child is subsequently placed in another foster home or residential facility, it is left to the case manager’s discretion as to whether continued contact is in the child’s best interest. If the child is reintegrated or adopted, this decision is given to his/her birth or adoptive parents.
KVC offers monthly trainings, provides information to our foster parents about community resources and assists foster parents with basic school supplies and holiday gifts for children in foster care. KVC would not be able to provide all of these supports without donations from the community. To learn how you can get involved by supporting foster parents in your community, click here!
Respite care is when a child in foster care stays with another licensed foster parent for a short term stay. Several examples of when respite care may be used are when a foster parent is unable to take a child on vacation out of state or if the foster parent has an emergency.
If you have questions on kinship placement, give us a call at (913) 499-8100 and we’ll connect you to the correct department.
In Kansas, when a court decides that a child should not remain in the parents’ home, a KVC Case Worker makes a referral for kinship placement. Following this, a Kinship Care Coordinator contacts all relatives or acquaintances and sets up interviews. The interviews take place in the potential caregiver’s home and consists of a series of questions and some paperwork to be completed. Helpful resources are then given for reference, as well as basic first-aid information. The caregiver must then pass a background check, a home inspection and complete all the requirements given by the Kinship Coordinator.
Kinship caregivers sometimes receive monthly financial assistance towards the cost of providing care for the child. KVC provides information on support group meetings, which have shown to be very effective. KVC supplies resources to help with the child’s medical, educational and emotional needs. Also, kinship caregivers are eligible for daycare assistance and receive support from KVC staff who are on-call 24/7.
Contact the agency where your relative is placed and let them know you would like to take placement. Each state has specific requirements, including foster parent training. In some states, MAPP Foundations can be transferred as the needed training. You can take the MAPP training through KVC or other approved agency in the area, even if you do not wish to take placement of a child in Kansas state custody. For a full list of MAPP trainings being offered in your area please visit the Children’s Alliance website.
First, you would need to contact the child or youth’s worker to let them know you are interested in becoming placement. If approved to be a placement, you will need to become a licensed NRKIN (non-relative kinship) home. It is a requirement that you complete the MAPP Foundations training. You can take the classes while the child is already placed with you.