FOSTER PARENTING

Foster Care at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is a private program only for babies being adopted through The Children’s Home. Our foster families are not waiting to adopt, and children in our foster care are not part of a “system.”

Foster care at The Children’s Home is simply a temporary place where babies can stay, be loved and cared for, while the baby’s birthparents make their final decision about whether to parent or place their child for adoption. Our foster care program offers emotional protection for the child, the birth parents, and the adoptive families.

A great start for the baby

Our foster parents are people who want to help babies get a great start in life. They are nurturing, conscientious people whose hearts are big enough to be able to love a baby – and then let the baby go when the time for foster care is over. Our foster parents are supportive of birthparents and adoptive parents from a wide range of situations and backgrounds.

Is The Children’s Home a licensed foster care program?

Like our adoption program, our foster care program is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Who are the babies in foster care?

They are the children of birthparents who are considering an adoption plan. The majority are infants. On rare occasions, we have older children, up to about 2 years of age. Depending on the situation, infants would be placed in foster homes upon discharge from the hospital (if not going directly home from the hospital with adoptive parents).

How long are babies in foster care?

The average length of stay for a baby is approximately 8 weeks and depends upon the birthparents’ situation. It is possible that a baby might stay as short as a day or two or as long as 4-6 months.

How many foster families are there?

Our agency will usually have a pool of 10-12 foster families. Since the number of infants can vary widely, individual foster families will not always have a baby to care for. We encourage foster families to take breaks between babies as needed.

Are foster parents paid?

We are a not-for-profit organization and our foster families receive a small stipend to help defray the costs of the baby’s clothing, diapers, and supplies. Some of our foster families choose to make use of the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program to cover the cost of baby’s formula.

Interested in being a Foster Parent at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh?

Requirements:

• Must live within the greater Pittsburgh area
• United States Citizenship
• One of the foster parents in the home must be a stay-at-home parent
• Must own/lease a vehicle and have a valid driver’s license
• Pennsylvania child abuse history clearances (Act 33)
• Pennsylvania state police criminal record checks (Act 34)
• FBI fingerprint background check
• Foster parents are not looking to add to their family, either through birth or adoption

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent at The Children's Home of Pittsburgh and you meet the above requirements, contact Joe Ritacco, foster parent social worker, at 412-441-4884 ext. 2055 or jritacco@chomepgh.org.