A: Anyone who has a desire to help. We do not need perfect people or fancy homes, you can be a single mom, an LGBT couple, married couple with or without children, renting or owning your home. You can have an interest in providing short term care, long term care, or a desire to adopt. We welcome all people to show an interest and just ask that there be a desire to help children in need.

A: Preliminary background checks are done to start, and later on there will be more extensive background checks, home visits, along with a thorough assessment period including a financial review. There are no educational requirements.

You need to be 21 years of age or older.

The initial assessment may seem a little invasive, however, it is important to ensure child safety.

A: Yes, some upfront training is required, and later on there is some ongoing training.

A: Skills and abilities are taken into consideration when making placement decisions; we do ask preferences for ages, race and gender. You can decline a placement if you feel that the placement would not be a good fit.

A: It depends on the child and the family. The goal is generally to return the child to the home, however, sometimes this does not happen quickly and sometimes not at all. We need foster families that are willing to keep children for varying lengths of time, from a couple days to months, as well as the consideration of adopting the children or being a long term resource for them.

A: Usually visits are scheduled, but the frequency of the visitation and level of supervision depends on safety of the children with their biological family. We encourage biological parents to maintain and build relationships with their children while in foster care, however, this is a choice that the parent makes and varies on a case by case basis.

A: A social worker is assigned to each child. Additionally, you will be assigned a foster care coordinator. There are local crisis services available if needed and there is a social worker on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Children with difficult behavioral issues often have a crisis plan in place, so the foster parent is aware of whom they can turn to for assistance.

A: All children in out-of-home care are provided with Medical Assistance care from the State.

A: For more information about becoming a foster care provider contact:

• Jodi Cook, South Wood County Foster Care Coordinator – 715-421-8629
• Grace Bauer, North Wood County Foster Care Coordinator – 715-387-6374
• Amanda Hocking, Intensive Services Unit Supervisor – 715-421-8648