Foster Parent College's initial blended training program is a 5-week program that combines in-person sessions with additional hours of online training. This training helps prospective foster/adoptive parents understand the needs of foster and adoptive children, introduces parents to the child welfare system and their role, and gives families and specialists the opportunity to get to know each other to ensure the program is a good fit.
Once training is complete, specialists will schedule interviews with all adult family members. These are 2-3 hour interviews to learn about your family, your childhood, your education and work experience, your relationships, and significant events in your life and how they have affected you. Along the way, our specialists will be available to help you prepare your home for the final home inspection. For a foster family, when they are ready, the Office of Licensing and Regulation (OLR) will conduct the home inspection. For adoptive families, your specialist will conduct a home inspection to make sure everything is in compliance with state regulations.
After you complete the Foster Parent College Blended Initial Training program and complete any outstanding paperwork, the specialists will return to your home for another visit. During this visit, which may last several hours, the specialists will complete the information they need to complete their assessment of your home. This may also be the time when any children in the home will be interviewed.
Within 30 to 60 days after a family completes the Foster Parent College Combined Initial Training Program, a specialist writes up their detailed home assessment. This is a report on the information gathered about the family, background, training, experiences, how the family functions, and any other relevant information. For foster families, the home assessment is submitted to the Office of Licensing and Regulation for licensure, and for adoptive families, the home assessment is submitted to the court for certification. Both entities take several weeks to review the assessments and will sometimes have additional questions for the specialist. Once an adoptive family is certified, they are placed on the Department of Child Safety adoption registry. When a foster parent is licensed, they are added to the Child Crisis Arizona placement list. Once you are on the placement list or adoption registry, many factors can affect the amount of time it will take for a child to be placed with you. Your specialist will help you formulate realistic expectations regarding child placement.
Current foster care or adoptive family?
Our services are fully inclusive of all individuals regardless of race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.
