Foster parents are needed in Pennsylvania. Between 13,000 and 15,000 children in our state are in the foster care system.  Over 8,000 of these children are over 13 years old.  It is even worse in Philadelphia with more than 4,000 children in foster care.

Catholic Social Services has been providing children in need of foster care with loving, supporting homes for decades.  Our good work continues today after the Supreme Court recently sided with Catholic Social Services allowing us to provide foster care for children in the foster system.

Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is the one of the leading providers of social services and welfare programs in the state of Pennsylvania.   We provide foster care and kinship care for children between birth and 21 years of age.  Ultimately, we hope to provide children with a permanent home and a loving family.

Foster Parents Needed

There is a shortage of foster parents.  Thousands of children are removed from their homes every year.  They pack up a few belongings and move into the foster system.  Children in foster care experience uncertainty and loss.  They are moved through a crowded and underfunded system.  Foster children are often placed in different communities because of the foster parent shortage, so they lose touch with family and friends. These vulnerable children lose touch with their childhood.

Hundreds of children need loving families to care for them.  Just a few years ago, the city of Philadelphia put out an urgent call to secure over 300 new foster parents.  Hundreds of children are in group home placements.

Foster Parents Make A Difference

Foster parents provide a stable home for children.  They form mentoring relationships.  Foster parents can help restore some innocence to the life of a foster child.  In short, foster parents can change the world for a foster child.

Requirements for Fostering a Child

Being a foster parent isn’t as difficult as you might think!  Foster parents don’t need to be married, own a home or a car.  You just need to be able to love and support a child placed in your care.

Catholic Social Services has six requirements to becoming a foster parent.

• Be at least 21 years old.
• Have a safe, stable residence with appropriate furnishings.
• Be healthy enough to provide care for children.
• Pass criminal, child abuse and FBI background checks.
• Must be able to complete the home study process.
• Must be able to provide support to children and their families.

You can apply to become a foster parent by clicking this link.

Catholic Social Services has a rigorous screening process to ensure that children placed in our care are safe and loved.  We also provide foster parents with training, ongoing support and access to resources that help foster families on their journey.