Foster Care

A foster parent creates a temporary safe space for children who are making the journey from abuse and neglect to a more permanent, positive home with their adoptive families or returning home.

Spectrum Child and Family Services is always searching for those special people who are good foster parents. We recognize them right away, because they:

• And their families are as committed as they are to serving the needs of a foster child.
• Are patient and understand or are willing to learn to meet children’s needs.
• Are willing to work with many people and agencies to help the child
• Accept the children’s families and work with them to create positive atmospheres for the children.
• Accept that their homes might not be “forever” places for children.
• Devote themselves to working with children including those that have difficult behaviors like swearing, school issues and therapy needs.

The children available for foster care have either been removed from their homes because of neglect and/or abuse, and they are permanent count ward (PCW) and/or temporary court ward (TCW). Some children may have special needs.

We supply foster parents with the resources and support they need to provide a healing environment that can introduce children to a typical, and enjoyable childhood experience for the children in their care.

If believe you have the high character to be a foster parent, please call (248) 552-8020 and ask for the Foster Home Licensing Department!

Treatment Foster Care

You are truly a special person if life leads you to be a treatment foster care parent.

That’s because you feel moved to create a temporary safe space where individual children and youth can be treated for serious emotional disturbances. You help their families, too.

Spectrum Child & Family Services teams with specially trained foster families to establish temporary environments that also are healing and nurturing for children. There, these children and their birth families live, grow and learn while building toward a less restrictive, more enduring placement.

Treatment foster care services are available in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, where children, youth, their birth families and foster families access intensive, but lovingly supportive services. We use diligence and cultural sensitivity during the matching process to make sure the program meets the needs of all children and families.

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services refers children from birth to age 17 to our program, which lasts between 6-9 months.

Heart and spirit are important attributes for a treatment foster parent, but there are some practical ones you have to possess, as well. You must:

• Be single or married and at least 25 years of age.
• Have independent income that is sufficient to cover family needs.
• Rent or own your living space.
• Have no more than two birth or adopted children living in the home, who are at least school-age and do not have special needs.

If you qualify and would like to know more, please call (248) 552-8020 and ask for the Foster Home Licensing Department!

Mommy & Me Foster Program

Much of our focus is on guiding children through unbelievably difficult times to more stable, productive lives. Some of those children are pregnant.

Mommy and Me Foster Care supports expectant girls ages 14-17 who want to deliver their babies or they’re already parenting one child 3 years or younger. In this protected environment, these young women pursue independence for themselves and their children.

They benefit from support systems and community resources like group therapy, parenting classes, child development training, referrals and assistance for education and employment, mentoring and independent living instruction.

Foster Care Supportive Visitation

Sometimes it becomes necessary to remove children from homes that have become too problematic for them. But that doesn’t always mean the end of the family.

Foster Care Supportive Visitation is a 12-week program in Huron, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac and Tuscola Counties that tries to confront destructive behaviors that separate families and reunite them under better conditions. While the children are placed temporarily in foster homes, our skilled coaches work with parents in their homes to identify old parenting patterns and replace them with improved ones.

Spectrum Child and Family Services has a host of family preservation programs that provide services to parents and caregivers. These services promote nurturing and effective parenting skills to prevent a child from being removed from their home and community. Services provided include mental and physical health screenings, referrals and specific assistance funding to help meet basic needs.

Inquiry

Become a Foster/Adoptive Parent

FAQ About Foster Care Licensing

FAQ About Foster Care

FAQ About Adoption

Adoptive Parent Orientation Dates

Foster Parent Orientation Dates