Homes, Hearts, Help and Healing
When you open your home and heart to a child as a Mesa County Foster Parent, you change their life. By offering stability and love, you give a child in need a chance to succeed. Your own life will be enriched as you guide a child to a brighter future.
Foster Care of Mesa County takes extra care to place children in the right homes and provides specific training and support to foster care parents. Foster care parents assist each child in developing positive social, educational, and emotional skills while discovering their strengths and potential for future success.
Together we can change the world, one life at a time.
Please meet Mesa County, Colorado foster parents, Lynda & Andres Sanchez
(and their beautiful family!)
What is Foster Care?
Foster care is the temporary placement of children and youth outside their own homes.
It happens due to abuse, neglect, or other family problems.
A foster home is a safe place for a child to live temporarily while their family addresses safety concerns. The majority of children in out-of-home placement will return to their parents or relatives, but a small percentage of children in out-of-home placement become legally free and eligible for adoption.
Foster parents embrace children, value their family connections, and provide a home free of abuse and neglect until they can return home, be adopted, or live independently. They must be willing to care for a child, whether they are in the home for one day or for a year.
Foster parents are not guardians, nor do they have legal custody of a child in their care, but they are an important part of the decision-making process regarding a child's safety, well-being, and permanency.
Foster care is:
a chance to make the world a better place -- one child at a time
one of the most challenging steps you will take in your life
one of the most rewarding opportunities you will ever take on
Foster care is not:
Simple - emotionally, socially, or in terms of your time
A way to solve personal or family problems
A way to make money
What is Kinship Care?
Kinship care simply means family and/or friends of the children can become foster parents or “kin providers”.
Children who are eligible must have a current open case with the Department of Human Services.
Our goal is to place children with relatives or close family friends whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
All types of foster parents are needed in Mesa County. Being a successful foster parent is hard work, and it requires opening yourself and your home.
However, foster parenting can be some of the most gratifying work you will ever consider. Foster care involves partnering with caseworkers, schools, and community resources to meet a young person’s needs. The heart of fostering is working with children and families.
We take time to get to know you and understand your needs and limitations before we place a child in your home. Many single and family homes would be great for foster care, but keep in mind that fostering is not for everyone.
Are you curious about foster parenting and ready to find out more?
Who Can be a Foster Care Parent?
We do not place any restrictions on who can foster based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or expression, gender identity, or marital status. You must be at least 21 years old, pass a background check, complete 27 hours of training, become certified in first aid and CPR, and receive and pass a home study.
Qualifications:
Have some basic knowledge of child development and caring for children
Have time to attend team meetings and transport children to various appointments (school, medical, parent visits, therapy, etc.)
Financially stable with the ability to provide for yourself without the child’s stipend.
Have the ability to work as a member of a team
Be willing to complete ongoing training
Be flexible, patient, and understanding
Be willing to work with birth families and support a child returning home when it is safe for them to do so
Be open to having caseworkers, attorneys, and others visiting your home.
The Process
After you have inquired about becoming a foster parent either through our website or by giving us a call, the following will take place:
An inquiry specialist will give you a call and ask you basic questions to make sure there is nothing that will prevent you from moving forward
The inquiry specialist will schedule a time to meet you in your home and answer any questions you may have about fostering and the process
You will complete an application and be assigned to a caseworker called a Placement Resource Manager who will work with you to get you certified
You will complete a home study: A structured and thorough written assessment that evaluates the history and current functioning of all members of the household as well as the safety of your home environment. You can read more about the home study here:
Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE)You will complete 27 hours of pre-certification training including first aid and CPR
All household members who are 18 and over will complete state and national background checks
You will submit required documents such as driver’s license, car registration and insurance, birth certificates, health evaluations, etc.
Are you ready to learn more?
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the children and youth in foster care? ↓
Children in foster care come from diverse ethnic and cultural populations and are generally newborns to 18 years of age (sometimes youth stay longer than age 18). They may have special medical, physical, developmental, psychological, and/or emotional needs. The child or youth may belong to a sibling group or be an only child.
What types of foster homes are needed most? ↓
Our biggest need in Mesa County is foster homes that will take older youth and teens, sibling groups, and children and youth with special needs.
What type of criminal history would prevent me from becoming a foster parent? ↓
You will not qualify if any adults in the household have been convicted of the following (including any deferred judgment):
- A crime of violence as defined in Section 18-1.3-406, C.R.S.
- Child abuse as specified in Section 18-6-401, C.R.S.
- Felony sexual behavior
- Felony domestic violence
- Felony physical assault or battery
- Felony drug-related/alcohol-related offense within the past five years
Do I have to be a homeowner to foster? ↓
No. You may rent or own your home. The important thing is that you have space for a child and that your home is safe, clean, and can pass a home inspection.
Can I work outside the home and be a foster parent? ↓
Yes. Many of our foster parents work outside the home. We typically do not provide child care assistance, so you would need to be able to arrange for child care for the children during your work hours. You may apply for Child Care Assistance, also known as CCAP, if your income is within a certain limit that is based on your household size.
Do foster parents get paid for caring for the children placed in their home? ↓
You would receive a monthly stipend to offset the costs of care such as food, shelter, clothing, and other related expenses.
Will I be trained? ↓
All the children we work with have experienced some level of trauma and need a trauma-informed approach to parenting. You will receive at least 27 hours of initial training, and at least 20 hours of ongoing training per year.
How long does the certification process take? ↓
It typically takes at least 90 days to complete the home study and other certification requirements.
Resources & Documents
for parents & families that have started the journey