Did you know that there are over 16,000 children in foster care in Illinois?
For more than a century, Volunteers of America of Illinois has been meeting the critical needs of children and families throughout the state with a variety of strength-based, child-centered and family-focused services designed to strengthen families; promote healthy development; and ensure safety, permanency and well-being for children.
Our unique approach to providing child welfare services is anchored to a deep understanding of and commitment to the importance of preserving children's attachments.
Our goal of achieving the best permanency option for each child is always rooted to an ongoing commitiment to ensuring their short and long-term safety and well-being. Foster parents, birth parents, extended family and the children themselves are actively engaged in the interventions and decisions that move the child to permanency.
We serve children and families through a broad continuum of child welfare services, including foster care, kinship care, family reunification and adoption.
Please join Volunteers of America of Illinois, faith-based leaders and other community leaders in making a difference in YOUR community and in the life of a child in foster care.
With good foster parents and the right support, foster children grow up to be successful, happy and productive adults. Please join Volunteers of America of Illinois, faith-based leaders and other community leaders in making a difference in YOUR community and in the life of a child in foster care.
Foster parents provide temporary care to children who have been removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or dependency. These children are wards of the state. Foster parents act as parents to their foster child in nearly every respect. THey set rules of behavior at home, in school and in the community, register their foster child in school, attend parent/teacher conferences, take them to the doctor, provide consequences for inappropriate behavior, teach good hygiene and living skills, etc. Foster parents are also expected to work closely with the caseworker by allowing home visits from the caseworker and attend some meetings.
Currently, VOA of IL is recruiting additional families to become foster families. To ensure that children are placed in a secure, warm, friendly setting, VOA of IL requires the following standards for foster parents:
*The ability to love someone else's child
*The ability to provide security, understanding, acceptance and other qualities of parenthood
*The ability to accept agency supervision
*Be over 21 years of age, single or married
*Have no criminal background
*Have adequate space to provide a separate bed for each child. Children of the same sex may share a bedroom.
*Have sufficient financial resrouces to provide basic necessities for yourself and your own children.
*Complete, as a condition of licensure, a 30-hour DCFS pre-service training program.
*Perform all duties normally considered parental duties including school registration and conferences, medical and dental appointments, transportation for the child for visits with the family, court dates, community activities and other needs as they arise.
*Refrain from the use of corporal punishment in any form as means of disciplining a child in your home.
*Fully cooperate with the agency plan for the child, including goals of reunification with biological parents.
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, know someone who might be interested in becoming a foster parent or would like to learn more about foster parenting, please contact:
Holly Houston,
Foster Parent Coordinator
312-564-2314 or
hschulz@voail.org.
