Foster Care Services
Safe Haven's Commitment to Foster Care
Safe Haven is fully invested in its commitment to “No Child Left without a Home” for the children it serves, however we cannot do this alone. It is our belief that we need to have active partnership efforts with passionate and committed individuals and families who want to make fostering part of their life’s mission so we can provide every child with a loving home.
Benefit of Fostering with Safe Haven
We understand the challenges that come with the commitment to foster a child, therefore Safe Haven provides foster families with monthly support groups, training, coordinated respite care services and immediate access to an on-call case manager for after-hours emergencies.
Support Services for Children in Care
A daily reimbursement is paid to the foster parents to assist with the child’s monthly expenses. The reimbursement is intended to help with clothing, food, personal hygiene products, a personal allowance for the child, and gifts for the child for occasions like birthdays. Foster parents are not paid. The reimbursement is for the child’s needs. In addition to that service, health care, case management and in-home counseling services are available to the children as well.
Requirments to Become a Foster Parent
We’re looking for individuals and families who are passionate, committed, and want to make fostering or adopting part of their life’s mission. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, have sufficient income to meet their own basic needs, and be in good physical, emotional and mental health. A Foster Parent can be single, married, divorced, or widowed. Foster Parent applicants must be committed to provide the child with positive forms of discipline and cannot use physical punishment of any kind. The Foster verification process with Safe Haven typically takes about two to three months.
Attend an Orientation Meeting
During New Family Orientation you will learn about becoming a foster parent, kinship caregiver, and/or adoptive family. We offer New Family Orientation Meetings each month. Click here to sign up for the next meeting in your area.
Steps to Verification
• Contact our office near you
• Attend a One-day New Family Orientation Meeting
• Submit a New Family Application Form and all required personal documents
• Submit to Criminal History Checks (i.e. DPS, DFPS Central Registry, and FBI)
• Complete a Two-week Pre-Services Training Session
• Participate in a home study interview session (including all household members)
• Complete 40 hours observation with a Foster Family Mentor
Why Foster Care?
Foster care is a program designed to provide a temporary loving, safe, and family orientated home for children who have been removed from their biological family’s home due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Children are placed with Safe Haven foster parents who have been trained specifically to meet their need for a loving and supportive home environment. The children are in the legal care of the State of Texas, but like all children they need a family to care for them. Children range in age from infants to teenagers and typically remain in foster care until permanency is reached. Permanency is reached by family reunification or adoption. They come from many different ethnic backgrounds. The highest priority need is for foster homes capable of caring for sibling groups and children from minority groups.
To find out if you qualify or to get further information about becoming a licensed Foster Parent, call 713-988-7233.