The United Methodist Children's Home is very proud of the growing number of families who partner with us to provide care for children in their homes. Working from Alabama offices in Jasper, Dothan, Troy, Andalusia, and Evergreen and from our Milton office in Florida, we serve 37 counties.
Our foster care program has four major parts: Foster Parent Training, Foster Home Licensure and Approval, Placement of Children and Supervision of Children in Care.
All of our programs are currently recruiting families who are interested in finding out more about foster care. Join this team of special people opening up their hearts and homes to care for troubled children.
If you have questions about foster care or to find the Foster Care office locations, follow the links below.
- House Resolution 391 - Recognizing the Importance of Foster Care
- Therapeutic Foster Care
- Regular Foster Care
- Enhanced Foster Care
- Becoming a Foster Parent (Answers to Common Questions)
Read the full text of the House Resolution (HR 391).
Therapeutic Foster Care (Each office in the following locations serves a multi-county area: Andalusia, Dothan, Jasper, Troy)
This program provides private homes for children who are unable to live with their own families. The program supports homes that can provide more structure and more intensive family involvement than regular foster homes.
We emphasize meeting each child’s specific needs as identified by his or her individualized service plan (ISP). Our case workers provide services that include tutoring, counseling, independent living classes, training programs for foster parents and children, behavioral aide services, crisis intervention, support for school success and opportunity for social recreation. When appropriate, we also provide support services to the child's birth family to prepare them and the child for reunification.
Each therapeutic foster family serves only one child at a time unless that child is part of a sibling group. The foster parents receive 40 hours of pre-service training and 24 continuing education hours annually to prepare them for handling the severe emotional and behavioral difficulties that these children experience.
Children Served - The program serves children whose special needs cannot be met through less restrictive foster care resources. We help children and youth who have social maladjustment, emotional and/or behavior problems and who are unable to live with their biological families. A DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis is required.
Referral ProcedureCounty child-welfare offices make all referrals. We can only accept children for placement who have a DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis.
Funding - Most of the funding for our Therapeutic Foster Care programs comes through state contracts and Medicaid. Individuals, churches and other community groups provide additional help at the local level.
Regular Foster Care (The office in Milton, Florida, serves a multi-county area)
Regular Foster Care provides private homes for children who are unable to live with their own families.
We emphasize meeting each child’s specific needs as identified by his or her individualized service plan (ISP). We recruit, train and license foster homes and place children in those homes. Once the child is in the home, we support the home by offering expertise, identifying community resources and providing temporary respite care services for the foster family.
Children Served - Any child identified by county authorities to have been abused or neglected may be placed in our foster homes.
Referral Procedure - All referrals are made through county child-welfare offices.
Funding - Most of the funding for our Regular Foster Care programs comes through state contracts and Medicaid. Individuals, churches and other community groups provide additional help at the local level.
Enhanced Foster Care (Each office in the following locations serves a multi-county area: Andalusia, Dothan, Jasper, Troy)
This program provides private homes for groups of siblings who are unable to live with their own families.
We emphasize meeting each child’s specific needs as identified by his or her individualized service plan (ISP). We recruit, train and license foster homes and place children in those omes. Once the children are placed, we support the foster home by offering expertise, identifying community resources and providing temporary respite care services for the foster family.
Children Served - Any sibling group identified by county authorities to have been abused or neglected may be placed in our enhanced foster homes.
Referral Procedure - All referrals are made through county child-welfare offices.
Funding - Most of the funding for our Enhanced Foster Care programs comes through state contracts and Medicaid. Individuals, churches and other community groups provide additional help at the local level.
