CHICAGO – May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, a time to honor foster families across Illinois who have opened their hearts and homes to provide a temporary safe haven to children and encourage more to join them by becoming licensed foster families. Children are placed in the temporary care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by local courts when it is determined that their families cannot safely care for them. DCFS works with the family to make the positive changes necessary to reunite with their children while foster families step up and provide homes where the children are protected, nurtured and loved. Today, there are just under 21,000 children living in foster care in the state: 8,600 are living with foster families, 11,300 with relatives and 600 in group homes and institutions.
“Children placed in our care, like all children, need a stable home and strong connections to their school, friends, siblings and other family members to thrive,” said Illinois DCFS Director Marc D. Smith.
The licensing process to become a foster parent can take up to six months.
To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent, fill out the online interest form on the DCFS website: https://www2.illinois.gov/dcfs
Weekdays 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
