about foster care

Foster care is stepping into brokenness and welcoming loss, but there is so much beauty, redemption and love. And it will change a child's life for the better.

What is foster care?

Foster care is a system where adults care for children whose birth parents are unable to for a time. The goal of foster care is reunification between the child and his or her birth family. A child may be with a family for a few nights, several weeks, years or in some cases, forever. Foster care is committing to love a child well, provide what they need, and give them hope. A family taking action now changes a child’s future forever.

Foster care
Info Meeting

Your first step is to learn more about foster care. In this meeting, our team will give you a basic overview of foster care, including who the children are, the goal of foster care, how the process works, and approaching it from a biblical perspective.

Meet with
Child Bridge

After you attend a Foster Care Info Meeting, a member of our team will schedule a session with you to dive deeper into your particular situation and the questions you have about fostering, specific to your family’s daily life.

Begin licensing
process

We connect you with your local licensing agency to begin the process of becoming a licensed foster family. The licensing agency will provide you with the specific details including the application, background check, special training, and a health and home assessment.

Visit the DPHHS website to learn more.

ATTEND
FOSTER CONNECT

We offer ongoing training, encouragement and connection that help foster families walk through foster care within a community, while building a strong trauma-informed approach for caring for children. Foster Connect help you move from theory to application.

JOIN A
JOURNEY GROUP

Journey Groups are small groups led by our team that help you build connections and a system of support with others who are also walking the foster care journey. These groups take a deeper dive into a variety of relevant fostering topics.

YOUR FIRST STEP

Interested in learning more about foster care without any commitments or pressure? Sign up for one of our virtual Foster Care Info Meetings where you’ll learn about why children come into foster care and what it looks like to care for them. We’ll cover everything from the crisis and scriptural calling to the licensing process and services Child Bridge offers to help equip foster parents. 

who can foster?

Foster parents are average people living out an extraordinary calling. Foster parents are electricians, teachers, doctors, stay-at-home moms and excavation workers. In Montana, you must be 21 years old to foster. You don’t need to own a house or have an excessive income, but you do need to be financially stable enough to support your family’s needs. You must be an individual who is ready to give a child opportunities to develop their full potential—physically, academically, socially and emotionally.

requirements

The steps for becoming foster parents may vary depending on whether you are licensed through the State of Montana, a therapeutic agency, or a tribe. We’re here to answer your questions on the process and in general these are the steps you can expect.

Application
process
Background
check
Home & health
assessment
training

Visit the DPHHS website to learn more about the requirements to foster in Montana.

Ready to Get Started?

Get in touch with our team for more information regarding the foster care journey, how to begin the licensing process, and the equipping services we offer. To get started, we ask that you fill out our Family Application Form so we can learn how to best guide you through the process.

get Started

Common Questions

What is foster care and who needs it?

What is a foster parent?

How do children come into foster care?

Who decides that a child needs foster care?

What is the goal of foster care?

More Questions

everyone can take a stand

Not everyone is meant to foster, but you can still do something.

donate

Help us find families who are called to foster by giving a gift of any amount.

donate
advocate

Join a community of passionate Montanans who give monthly, create awareness and inspire others to join the cause. You can make "a family for every child" a reality.

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