Needed Now: Foster and Adoptive Parents: Residents Invited to Apply for Pre-Service Training

The final training session of the year for prospective foster and adoptive parents begins Sept. 25, and interested families are invited to submit their applications now. 

Anyone interested in fostering or adopting a child must attend TIPS/MAPP training during the selection process. TIPS/MAPP, or Trauma Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanence/Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting, is a 10-week program and will be held Wednesday evenings throughout the fall. It provides information to help prospective foster and adoptive families decide if they are ready to provide care.

APPLY: The application must be submitted by Sept. 18 to participate in the fall 2024 training. Interested families can visit MeckNC.gov/KIDS or call 704-336-KIDS (5437) to begin the process.  

A foster parent provides a temporary home for children until they can return to their home or until a permanent home is found. Children typically enter foster care because of abuse, neglect, or dependency. In many cases, older youth and siblings need to stay together. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mecklenburg County has seen a marked decrease in the number of families willing to foster children. That is why the Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services has made a concentrated effort this year to increase the number of licensed foster families.

EASIER APPLICATION: The process for becoming a licensed foster parent comprises multiple steps: orientation and training; home visits and interviews; reference, financial and criminal record checks; safety inspections; and more. The introduction this year of a new online application system modernizes the foster parent certification process, making it more straightforward for prospective foster parents to apply and for current foster parents to recertify. The new technology also facilitates better matches between children and potential foster homes, based on a child’s unique needs.