Every family courageous enough to foster deserves to have
training, support, and community
to help the children in their homes heal.
I am
considering
fostering
We understand that your decision is hard. We’ll help you get the facts you need to feel confident in your choice.
I am
already
fostering
Thank you! We are so thrilled to connect with your family and offer resources aimed at making fostering even more fulfilling.
You could never be a foster parent.
Could you?
At The Restore Network, we understand the constant back and forth in your mind about wanting to care for a vulnerable child in the foster care system… but wondering if you’re actually cut out for it. Is it worth the risk of “rocking the boat”?
We know this because we too have stood precisely where you are. Then, we each held our breath, relied on our faith and opened our homes to children who needed us. Now, as we’re continuing to parent children who are part of our homes through birth, foster care and adoption, we recognize that we have been invited to hold both the beauty and brokenness of foster care as we hope for healing and restoration of families.
Truth is – there’s no promise that fostering a child is easy, but it’s always worth it.
Start by attending a no-pressure informational session.
You’ll never, ever be alone.
When we all respond, the solution is so within our reach.
Expertly
Equipped
Get extensive, trauma-based training, taught by a Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner who, beyond having a Master’s degree in Social Work, specializes in helping families understand and implement interventions that help bring true healing to kids coming out of traumatic experiences.
Carefully
Connected
Since placing a child in the right family is more than finding an empty bed, we’ll spend time getting to know your family to identify the type of child who will most thrive in your home. We’ll then coach you on what factors to consider, so you can give your best “yes” when a placement is recommended.
Constantly
Supported
When a child is placed, we’ll start by providing clothes, supplies, and meals to meet immediate needs and remain in regular contact to offer a safe place to talk, training, advocacy and respite care. We also introduce you to a community of foster families who will walk with you in your journey.
Start by attending a no-pressure informational session.
I think it can be really easy to think of loving a child in foster care as removing a child from the mess of their story—snatching them from the pain and brokenness and placing them in something ‘better.’
The thing is, that’s not how my God loved me. My God set his ‘better’ aside. He laid aside his crown, and he entered into the mess of this earth. Really loving means entering in.
Restore Network Foster Parent
Here’s how to start.
Learn
Start with a no-pressure informational session. The Foster & Adopt 101 Workshop was designed for those exploring a call to care for a vulnerable child.
License
When you’re ready, our team will walk with you through the process of getting licensed, thoroughly trained, and thoughtfully connected with a child.
Love
Provide love, support, and hope to a vulnerable child. As a foster parent, we won’t promise your job will be easy, but we promise it will always be worth it.
Meet Your Trainer
Ashley Bennett is a Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practitioner. This means that, beyond having a Master’s in Social Work, she specializes in helping families understand interventions that will help bring healing to kids coming out of traumatic experiences.
Ashley and her family have been fostering for six years.
We’ll help your family thrive.
As a Restore Network foster family, you can count on:
Guidance
The mentoring and support of your Director and help navigating the foster care licensing process in a timely manner.
Practical Resources
Unlimited access to trauma-informed resources for anything you need.
Community
A network of other foster parents and an invitation to a county-specific monthly “Connect Group.”
Celebrations
Invitations to parties and events created to provide fun for your foster child and respite for you.
Meals
Food brought to you by volunteers upon a new placement.
Clothing & Supplies
Material support like cribs, clothes, or car seats, when a child is placed in your home.
Advocacy
Unwavering help with advocacy, should things get complicated with the system.
Prayer
Intentional, on-going prayer from The Restore Network volunteer prayer team.
Beyond this support, your foster care agency will also provide:
Direction
A caseworker to manage your case.
Financial Support
A monthly subsidy to help cover the costs of raising a child.
Health Insurance
Medicaid insurance to cover the child’s healthcare needs.
Clothing
A voucher to help with the child’s clothing.
Daycare
Free daycare when both parents work.
Waivers
Waivers to cover all school fees, including meals.
Start by attending a no-pressure informational session.
“I foster because…”
I have a huge desire to love and help these families.
Karolyn
It’s been a long journey coming to the place where we were willing to see this as something our family should be involved in, but the more we move into it, the more gospel opportunities we see to be agents of reconciliation in a world broken and ravaged by the effects of the Fall.
Shayne
They need us more than we need our comfort.
Andria
God met us where we were most vulnerable and lost. He took us in. If he did that for us, why wouldn’t we do that for a child?
Victoria
I tell you, people think safe and easy is the best way, but the biggest blessings are almost always in the hard and the messy in my experience!
Angie
At the end of the day, it’s just worth it… It matters—every single moment—immensely.
Jess
FAQ
Do I have to be married to foster or adopt?
Am I too old to foster/adopt? Am I too young to foster/adopt?
Does one foster or adoptive parent need to stay at home?
Who pays for daycare?
Does each foster child have to have his/her own bedroom?
Can we choose the age/gender/race/sibling group that is placed in our home?
What about medical care?
I’m nervous about the birth parents and parent/child visits. Will the parent come to my home?
How long will the child be with us?
Are my kids too young to have a foster child in our home?
What is the difference between foster care and adoption?
Will it be too difficult for me to give up the child when it's time for him/her to be reunited with his/her birth family?
This seems to be the most common concern for people considering foster care, and it is important to think about this before you begin. First, you must remember that while you love and care for foster children, they are not your children. They have a mom and a dad, and biological connections are incredibly strong. If a biological parent can care for his/her child, this is the best option for that child. Second, we encourage you to be willing to grieve for the sake of a child. The truth is that you may grieve if a child comes to you and then returns home. You must decide if the benefit for that child is worth grief on your part. Third, we encourage you to trust God. The simplest answer is to trust Him to guide the future of your family and any foster children you care for. He is faithful.
Click here to view Illinois’ licensing standards for foster family homes.
Start by attending a no-pressure informational session.
13 Myths & Truths About Becoming a Foster Family
We understand the wavering back and forth as you want to care for a child in foster care… but at the same time are wondering if you’re actually cut out for it. What if you get too attached? What about my other kids? Would I even qualify? To help, we’ve compiled a list of the most common myths and truths for you to consider as you discern how God is leading your family.