How to become a Certified Foster Parent

I . Call a Mountain Circle office located near you and tell them you are interested in becoming a foster parent. We will then invite you to the next scheduled
Orientation.

2. Once you've attended the orientation and decide that you want to proceed with becoming a foster parent you will be required to attend 10 hours of precertification training.

3. You will need to be fingerprinted and cleared on Child Abuse Index Clearance, Dept. of Justice and FBI.

4. The foster parent application and all forms must be filled out and signed.

5. You will need to be first aid/CPR certified.

6. After you have completed these simple steps, a Mountain Circle Social Worker will come to your home and do a home study and a home inspection.

7. Your profile and office file will then be forwarded to the Screening Committee, which meets once a month, for approval and certification.

8. You are then ready to receive your first foster child and what a rewarding experience it is.

Whom Do We Serve?

Mountain Circle Foster Family Agency is a therapeutic program designed to serve children in foster care through age 18. We provide a higher level of care than State or County licensed homes and we accept referrals from both Child Protective Services and Probation, reviewing each case on an individual basis.

When we receive a referral on a child, Mountain Circle requests all relevant background information in order to match a child's needs to a foster family's strengths. This is a critical component of our intake and placement process.

Mountain Circle serves many children with various backgrounds and personal histories.

This may include children with the following:
• Physical, sexual & emotional abuse
• Neglected children from all walks of life
• Physical, social, mental and academic delays in development
• Children prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol
• Pregnant teens and young mothers who need a home & guidance onraising their babies
• Teens needing to be taught emancipation skills
• Children with emotional and behavioral problems

What Is the Transitional Housing Placement Program?

Mountain Circle is licensed to provide the Innovative Transitional Housing Placement
Program (THPP). This program recognizes that age appropriate youths, who are
preparing to emancipate from the foster care system, need to learn Independent
Living Skills (ILS). It will allow youth who are in this program to have the greatest
amount of freedom possible in order to prepare for self-sufficiency after emancipation.

The program is an alternative solution to traditional foster care and is designed to
provide pre-emancipation training and teaches the youth basic important life skills.
This is provided through a Host Home model, where youth in this program rent a
room from a family in the Community, have a job, savings and checking account and
learn other independent living skills (i.e. laundry, cooking, budgeting, paying bills,
grocery shopping).

Mountain Circle is looking for families and youth who are willing to be involved in this
rewarding Program. If interested please contact us. Click here to learn more...