Foster and Adoption Process
About Fostering
Becoming a foster parent in Orange, Osceola or Seminole Counties:
The first step to fostering is to register and attend an information session. See below two options for classes available:
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Info sessions occur twice a month. These are now required before class enrollment but are also open to others who are just seeking more information about fostering.
Upcoming Foster Care Info Sessions
7/2/24 or 7/16/24 @ 7 pm: Register in advance
8/1/24 or 8/15/24 @ 7 pm: Register in advance
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Visit the Family Partnership of Central Florida Website
What to Expect
Once registered for a training course (ranging from 7-10 week, depending on the licensing agency), you will:
Submit required paperwork packet (including background checks and fingerprinting) before the date of your first class
Attend all weeks of training
Have a home visit and ensure you have all of the requirements completed for getting your home ready
Be approved (licensure) by agency
Receive first placement
Note: This process can take 3-6 months. Don’t let this discourage you and it is not indicative that there are enough foster homes in our area. The need is great and your willingness to love is greatly needed in our local community.
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Online Faith-Based Pre-Service Foster Care Classes:
Begins Wednesday, August 14, 2024, from 7-10 p.m.
7 weeks, 27 hours of content, group discussions, videos, readings, podcasts, and assignments.
If you know someone who is interested, please have them register by contacting Julie at julies@fosteringourfuture.info
Visit the Fostering Our Future Website
What to Expect
Once registered for a training course (ranging from 7-10 week, depending on the licensing agency), you will:
Submit required paperwork packet (including background checks and fingerprinting) before the date of your first class
Attend all weeks of training
Have a home visit and ensure you have all of the requirements completed for getting your home ready
Be approved (licensure) by agency
Receive first placement
Note: This process can take 3-6 months. Don’t let this discourage you and it is not indicative that there are enough foster homes in our area. The need is great and your willingness to love is greatly needed in our local community.
To learn more about the Journey of Fostering, this VIDEO SERIES provides a brief overview to help you navigate your journey into foster care .
About Adopting
God’s design for children is to grow up in permanent, loving families. With 150 million orphans worldwide and 125,000 children available for adoption in the US foster care system, adoption is a beautiful and imperative response to this need.
At Commission 127, we remain committed to helping families consider all of the options for growing their families through adoption. We also provide a network of support and education for families who are evaluating whether or not to adopt a child.
To learn more about the Journey of Adoption, this VIDEO SERIES provides a brief overview to help you navigate your journey into adoption.
Additional Resources
Books
The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis, Ph.D, David R. Cross, Ph.D, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
The Connected Parent by Lisa Qualls and Karyn B. Purvis
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Mary Hartzell
No Drama Discipline: The Whole Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your
Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder by
Carol Stock Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller
Ready or Not by Pam Parrish
Online Resources
Podcasts
Adoption-minded Reading and Resources
Resources for Those Considering Foster Care
Ready or Not by Pam Parrish
Reframing Foster Care by Jason Johnson
Foster the Family by Jamie Finn
Another Place at the Table: The startling and ultimately uplifting narrative of one woman’s thirteen-year experience as a foster parent by Kathy Harrison
For Children
Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care by Jennifer Wilgocki and Marcia Kahn Wright
A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes and Sasha J. Mudlaf
Tell Me My Story: What Does Adoption Mean? by Raquel McCloud
Families Are Different by Nina Pelligrini (for adopted children)
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
Novels for Older Kids
Untangling Hope by Johnna Stein (ages 8-13)
The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes (ages 8-12)
One For the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (ages 10 and up)
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (ages 10 and up)