North Shore Community Foster Care employs a full time Foster Parent Recruiter responsible for attracting and evaluating adults who are interested in making a commitment to improving a child’s life. Many people state their desire to take this course of action, however, not everyone is able to provide the intense care that is often required.  The role of the Recruiter is to ask difficult and probing questions. Potential foster parents are asked to describe their values, in-depth home studies are required, and family members are interviewed.  To become a certified foster parent, couples and individuals must demonstrate compassion and a willingness to meet North Shore Community Foster Care standards. 

Many children involved in the child welfare system exhibit a range of developmental, disciplinary, and/or psychological issues.  Therefore , due to the variety of concerns that may surface in at-risk children, North Shore requires 30+ hours of initial training in an assortment of subjects such as abandonment, separation/loss, conflict-resolution, behavior management, sexual and physical abuse, child-birth family management strategies, in addition to First-Aid/CPR, and Pennsylvania State Foster Parent regulations.  These sessions are carefully chosen to assist foster parents in understanding issues that complicate the lives of children and families involved in the child welfare system.  Foster parents are also required to complete 12 hours of annual training for re-certification. North Shore selects foster parents who are both prepared and determined to play a powerful role during an extremely difficult time in a child’s life.

If you are interested in exploring the challenges of foster parenting click the Send Us an Email link found under the Contact Us button on the navigation bar and type Foster Parenting in the subject line.