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1. What is foster care?

Foster care is the placement of a child into the legal custody or legal authority of a county department of human / social services for physical placement of a child in a certified or licensed facility.


The objectives of foster care are to:

• Protect the child and provide sufficient care for the child on a temporary basis in a nurturing, stimulating environment


• Help the child cope with the separation from the family


• Provide a safe environment while developing and implementing a permanent plan for the child's future

Family foster care can offer care to children with a range of problems, depending on the experience, expertise, and resources of the foster family. Foster parents work together with the child's biological parents with a variety of professionals including social workers, juvenile court officers and judges, family counselors in private and public agencies and a variety of medical personnel, as needed by the child.

2. Who are foster parents?

Foster parents are caring and committed individuals who open their hearts and home to meet the needs of children who must be placed in out-of-home care in order to be safe. A foster family provides the child with an emergency or temporary home and a supportive, stable family environment while the birth family addresses the concerns or situation that prevents them from parenting their child.


Typically, foster parents care for the child until reunification with the birth family occurs, there is an adoption or guardianship by kin, or the child is legally available for adoption. Sometimes foster parents become the permanent home for the child through adoption.


You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent for a child!



Successful foster parents:

• Are patient, committed and caring


• Are teachers, mentors and learners


• Love a challenge and have a sense of humor


• Are flexible


• Ask for help and support when it is needed


• Enjoy seeing children grow, thrive and achieve


• Communicate well


• Provide consistency and structure

3. Who can be a foster parent?

To be a foster parent, you must be at least 21 years of age, have enough room to accommodate a child, be certified as a foster parent, and have a stable income to support your existing family. You do not need to be married, own your own home, or be a parent already. Families of all religions, races, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds are needed.

4. What do foster parents do?

• Provide children with a safe, nurturing relationship


• Work as members of a professional team


• Support the child’s relationship with the birth family


• Ensure that the child’s basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medical, educational, and emotional development are met

5. Which children need homes the most?

Foster parents are needed to provide homes for:

• Teenagers


• Sibling groups who need to stay together


• Infants and toddlers


• Children with emotional/behavioral needs


• Children with special needs, such as developmental delays, physical impairments, and/or mental health issues

6. I work outside my home; can I still be a foster parent?

Yes, many foster parents work full time.

7. How can I learn more about becoming a foster parent?

Step 1: Attend a foster care orientation meetings.
Step 2: Complete and submit and application.
Step 3: Attend foster parent CORE training classes.
Step 4: Participate in a comprehensive Home Study.

The steps to become certified as a foster family are fully outlined in the Colorado State regulations for foster care homes. Once you successfully completed these steps, you may be certified to foster a child.

For more information, call Broomfield Health and Human Services Department at 720.887.2266. A representative will contact you regarding the program. Orientation and required training will be provided at no cost to prospective foster applicants.

8. How can I support the Broomfield Health and Human Services foster care program?

Here's a list of ideas:

• Become an approved babysitter or respite provider for a foster family


• Become an approved mentor to a foster child


• Become an approved tutor for a foster child


• Provide clothing or services to a foster family


• Help fund extracurricular activities or supplies for a foster child


• Sponsor a project to collect important items, such as children's overnight bags, clothes, backpacks, and school supplies

If you own a business, consider offering discounted services to foster families.