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I'm A Foster Parent

Bringing Families Together sends all our gratitude to our foster parents!

Strong, resilient communities...one family at a time

Making a difference for children

You are the backbone of this community, supporting kids and families in need with your hard work and dedication to our children.

Rights and Responsibilities

Bringing Families Together greatly appreciates you opening your heart and homes to children in need.

We are here to offer information to assist, support and connect you to the training and resources you need throughout your foster care journey.

For more information about the rights and responsibilities of a foster parent, please review our Clients Rights & Responsibilities brochure.

Please also review the Foster Parents' Bill of Rights on the State of Missouri's website.

Training

Foster families are required to complete 30 hours ongoing training every two years to maintain their foster care license.

Please visit the Children’s Division website for a chart providing both mandatory and optional trainings to help you meet your 30 hours of required in-service training.

Bringing Families Together collaborates with Saint Louis Partners to offer additional training opportunities. Please subscribe to our Newsletter and also watch our upcoming events for upcoming training and other support opportunities.

Level A & Level B Training:

Behavioral Level A and Career Level B trainings are an additional level of trainings that offer amazing support to foster parents. They not only teach how to manage different behavioral needs a child in your home may display, but it also gives you an even greater understanding of trauma and how it impacts the children in your home. It allows for open discussions about some of the struggles you might be facing with different behavioral needs of children in your home and gives an opportunity for different solutions that might be possible.

Supports:

BFT Foster and Adoptive Parent Support Facebook Group
BFT LGBTQ Foster and Adoptive Parenting Facebook
Also, please see Resources / Supports section further below.

LGBTQ+ Families

Bringing Families Together supports diversity in our families and community. We launched our LGBTQ Foster and Adoptive Parenting group in 2018 to offer families additional support and resources. You are welcome and encouraged to join our online LGBTQ parenting group on Facebook.

Our group also became an official member of the National Network of LGBTQ Family Groups through the Family Equality Council in January 2019. There is a great need for foster families to support our LBGTQ youth who may face additional challenges of acceptance before and after coming into care. Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or other diverse identity (LGBTQ+) are overrepresented in foster care with an estimated 30% of youth in foster care identifying as LGBTQ+.

Like all kids, LGBTQ youths need the support of a nurturing family to help them navigate their teenage years and grow into healthy adults. These youth face additional challenges, including the losses that brought them into foster care. To learn more about LGBTQ youth and how to support them as a foster parent, the Child Welfare Information Gateway has put together a great factsheet resource. It also includes a full page of additional resources to support you as a foster family for LGBTQ youth.

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Foster care / waiting children

We have many waiting children who need foster and forever homes and being a foster or adoptive parent is an amazing way to support children and families.

Please watch the video and explore our photo gallery and the children’s profiles.

Foster Care

BFT's Waiting Children

Meet some of BFT’s awesome adoptable kids! Could you be their forever family?
Please click the photos below to view each child’s profile.

Carter

Meet the creative Carter who is excited to meet his forever family! This budding magician enjoys entertaining those around him with his impressive sleight-of-hand tricks. He easily falls into conversations with others, and people often comment on Carter’s good manners. He is a happy and caring.

Carter

Meet the creative Carter who is excited to meet his forever family! This budding magician enjoys entertaining those around him with his impressive sleight-of-hand tricks. He easily falls into conversations with others, and people often comment on Carter’s good manners. He is a happy and caring.

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Carter

Meet the creative Carter who is excited to meet his forever family! This budding magician enjoys entertaining those around him with his impressive sleight-of-hand tricks. He easily falls into conversations with others, and people often comment on Carter’s good manners. He is a happy and caring.

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Ronald

Ronald is a friendly 12-year-old boy. A perfect day for Ronald is spent playing outside in the fresh air! This sweet kiddo is appreciated for his kind heart and loves a good game of hide-n-seek or tag. Ronald also loves playing laser tag. If the clouds are out, he likes playing video games and with action figures.

Ronald

Ronald is a friendly 12-year-old boy. A perfect day for Ronald is spent playing outside in the fresh air! This sweet kiddo is appreciated for his kind heart and loves a good game of hide-n-seek or tag. Ronald also loves playing laser tag. If the clouds are out, he likes playing video games and with action figures.

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Ronald

Ronald is a friendly 12-year-old boy. A perfect day for Ronald is spent playing outside in the fresh air! This sweet kiddo is appreciated for his kind heart and loves a good game of hide-n-seek or tag. Ronald also loves playing laser tag. If the clouds are out, he likes playing video games and with action figures.

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SEE MORE CHILDREN