There are children throughout the world needing parents and homes. The need has gotten greater recently in the United States, specifically in the state of Maine. With nearly 2,000 children currently in foster care and about 1,300 licensed households, there are many children without homes. Most of those needing homes are teenagers.
Although many of the 1,300 licensed homes allow for more than one child, because of the geographical location of the home as well as the specific needs of children, many of those homes are currently without foster children. It is because of this that the state is asking for families to step forward and qualify for foster care. One hundred families. DHHS is requesting those who would be willing to care for older children, for children with behavioral problems, or for sibling groups, to gather the needed information and then take the steps required to qualify.
All that is required is an application submitted to DHHS, which includes three references. Additionally, a criminal background check is required (there is a minimal fee associated with the background check) as well as home inspections and a home study. These are performed by the DHHS. Following meeting of all of this criteria, and taking into account the desires of the household, foster children are then matched with the newly licensed foster home.
There are currently over 500 children in the Maine foster care system who are adoptable. The goal for the other children is to provide a safe environment for them as their biological families work toward reunification with them.
For those interested in fostering to adopt, there are some additional requirements.
