Foster Care
Foster Parenting Resource Page
Considering Foster Care?
Over 6,000 children and youth live in foster care in Kansas.
Most of the children who are separated from their families and need foster care are over the age of 8, or they are part of a sibling group. As a foster parent, you can strengthen a child's community and family connections, nurturing them during some of the most challenging times in their lives. Not only will you help some of our most vulnerable, but you will grow, learn and expand your life in ways you can’t imagine.
Contact us to find out more about how you can help keep Kansas families together.
What do foster parents do?
Learn how to help kids feel safe and cherished.
Show up to help reunify youth with family or kin when possible.
Keep children connected to their schools and communities whenever they can.
Work with the family’s team to provide the best care possible for children and the best support possible for families.
What supports are available?
A Kansas child placing agency (CPA) guides you through the training and licensing process
Ongoing individualized support from your CPA to help you meet the specific needs of the child(ren) in your home
Financial reimbursement
Child health care and daycare cost coverage
Extensive training and peer support
How do I become licensed as a foster parent in Kansas?
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1 - Choose Sponsor
Find a sponsoring child-placing agency.
Your agency will help you explore what it means to be a foster or adoptive parent. They will help you get a foster care license if you choose to move forward.
There are many agencies throughout the state of Kansas that can support families and children. The right agency for your family may be determined by your location and the needs of the children you are interested in fostering.
Foster parents provide a temporary home for children as a support for the child and their family. Most of the children that need foster care are grade-schoolers and teens.
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2 - Complete Training
Complete an approved training course. Most families complete the TIPS-MAPP course.
Foster families in Kansas are required to participate in the MAPP Program. MAPP is a 30 hour group of meetings that takes about 10 weeks to complete.
In the class you’ll learn more about how to partner with birth parents and the agency to provide trust-based care for a child who has experienced abuse or neglect.
If you decide to move forward a foster care worker will help determine if you can provide a safe nurturing family environment for a child by doing two or more home visits.
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3 - Complete Licensing
Your sponsoring agency can help you get licensed through the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Your home and family will need to pass background checks and meet safety regulations.
To complete your licensing, you will need to complete some additional training such as First Aid, Medication Administration and Universal Precautions.
You don’t have to make a lot of money or have a perfect past to be a good foster parent. Contact a CPA today to see if licensing is an option for your family!
Foster parenting is a rewarding opportunity to help a child heal and stay safely connected with their family.
Kansas Child Placing Agencies
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CALM
CALM is a small agency located in Emporia, serving the surrounding region. We have an experienced team of six social workers who support foster parents through their journey of caring for Kansas children needing out of home placement.
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Cornerstones of Care
Our highest priority is to match children with loving families who will provide a safe and supportive environment. Foster families come in all varieties, including single parent, same sex, blended and mixed race. Staff are dedicated to finding, preparing and supporting foster, kinship and adoptive families.
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DCCCA
DCCCA staff are here to provide support through each step of the journey: from the initial contact, to training and ongoing supports once children are matched to your home. Explore our page to learn more about fostering and/or adopting.
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Eckerd Connects
Eckerd Connects recruits, trains and supports individuals to provide temporary care, love and nurturing to children 0-18 years of age.
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EmberHope Youthville
Becoming a kinship parent is one of the most important and life-changing decisions you will ever make. With our 90+year legacy of providing a wide range of quality services, rooted in Faith, EmberHope Youthville offers kinship parents the support and guidance needed to complete the licensing process.
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KVC Kansas
KVC Kansas is committed to provide heart centered care to nearly 900 foster homes across the state. Through direct support, access to mental health resources, and customized training opportunities we are committed to nurturing foster homes to care for youth in our community.
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O'Connell Children's Shelter
We offer services to families who want to foster or adopt. We can support you in completing the necessary licensure, home studies, and background checks. Our support continues once placement has been made. We provide individualized attention and experienced staff able to meet foster families' unique needs.
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Rainbows United
The Specialized Foster Care program at Rainbows United started in 1994. Rainbows’ dedication to providing services to children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is at the heart of the program. Rainbows seeks and sponsors foster families who have experience working with children with IDD; foster parents have been teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, or families who have members with disabilities.
The Specialized Foster Care program is one of 11 programs at Rainbows, where children ages birth to 21 receive quality services.
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Restoration Family Services
Our purpose is to initiate effective change in the lives of children and families, community and state partners, through supports and services based on biblical ethics including respect, honesty, compassion and empathy.
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Saint Francis Ministries
Saint Francis Ministries has proudly provided healing and hope to children for 75 years. Our foster parents are unique, but they have one thing in common: welcoming hearts and homes to help children build bright futures. We support foster families in all Kansas counties.
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TFI Family Services
TFI is a leading child welfare agency providing experience, compassion, quality services and care. Being a TFI foster family means you are part of a caring organization that believes “happy families make happy kids”. To learn more about how you can make a difference, contact us at 833-7FOSTER
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Wichita Children's Home
To meet the needs of children in crisis, WCH depends on caring foster families in the community to provide assistance. The Foster Care Department trains, supervises and supports these families who care for children who are best served by one or two primary caregivers.
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Zoe's House
Zoe's House is a full-service adoption agency located in the Kansas City Metro Area. Zoe’s House offers the “Another Way Home” program linking children legally free for adoption with foster and adoptive families.
Foster Parent Support
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FosterAdopt Connect
FosterAdopt Connect works with children, youth, and families as they navigate the complexities of the Family Well-Being System. With the help of innovative tools, a dedicated professional staff, and over 20 years of experience working in the Kansas and Missouri foster care systems, we’re equipped to connect children with families that provide love, healing, and stability for a brighter future.
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Gathered
As foster parents, you face a lot of unique challenges. Foster and adoptive families are on the front lines loving children from hard places. Gathered is a group of passionate individuals who have seen the gaps in the local Family Well-Being System. When foster families feel supported and trained well, they continue to foster. Gathered provides support and training for individuals and families who foster and adopt. Serving in Sedgwick County.
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Foster the Cause
We are a bridge ministry—we attempt to bridge the gap that exists between the church and state when it comes to foster care. We work alongside child-placing agencies (CPAs) who have partnered with us. It is our desire to help walk families through what can be a very confusing process. Right now we work primarily in Shawnee and Douglas Counties—we are also able to serve families in Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Wabaunsee and Pottawatomie Counties.
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Kansas Caregivers Support Network
KCSN provides meaningful representation and a voice to those providing care to children not born to them. KCSN works to provide for caregivers’ needs in a variety of ways including peer-to-peer support and mentoring, education and training opportunities, advocacy and locating resources to assist all caregivers in feeling equipped to handle the needs of children in foster care.
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Kansas Post-Adoption Resource Center
K-PARC is dedicated to strengthening kinship and adoptive families in Kansas. We are a group of families just like yours working together to make things better for our children. It’s important to plan fun things to do together! We provide information, training, and support to adoptive and kinship families. We also connect families to great services and professionals doing great work.
Talk with us
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, call the Children’s Alliance at 785.235.5437 or fill out this form. We can help connect you with a CPA in your area to make sure all your questions are answered.