Foster Care Services:A Safe Home for Every Child

Children & Families HOME

 

Family Reunification Services

 

Adoption

 

Supervised Independent Living

 

Education & Training Vouchers for teens leaving Foster Care

 

Foster Care for Refugee Youth

Thousands of Michigan children need temporary homes where they can feel safe, secure and loved. Some are victims of abuse or neglect. Some have been abandoned by their birth families. It’s not their fault!

To be a successful foster parent you must love children and want to help them. You must meet the requirements for licensing by the State of Michigan and go through initial and ongoing training. You must be willing to cooperate with birth parents who are working towards reunification with their children.

Lutheran Social Services of Michigan has been providing services for children and families since 1934. We are Michigan’s largest private foster care agency, helping more than 800 children every day across the Lower Peninsula. Our experienced staff are passionate about their desire to help foster families create a better life for the children in their care.

Be A Foster Parent!

Looking for the Foster Parent Training Schedule? Choose the location closest to you:

Grand Rapids

Ann Arbor and Jackson

Flint and Saginaw

Lansing (domestic) Lansing(refugee)

Kalamazoo

Metro Detroit

For the children in your care, you will provide:

• A safe place to sleep
• Meals
• Clothing
• A nurturing environment
• Transportation to school, family visits, therapy and medical appointments
• A positive adult role model

In return you will receive:

• Daily reimbursement from the State of Michigan to cover the cost of the child’s food, clothing, transportation and recreation (medical and dental care is provided by the state)
• Ongoing training and support from Lutheran Social Services of Michigan
• The satisfaction of knowing that you are helping a child in need
  

 

We have a critical need for foster parents willing to take in school-aged children, teenagers and sibling groups.

HELP A TEEN: Supervised Independent Living

If you are unable to become a foster parent, consider providing a room for an older teen in our Supervised Independent Living program. You will not need to be licensed, and you will not have the legal obligations of a foster parent. In exchange for a negotiated monthly rent, you will provide a room and perhaps board, and will help the youth to learn the basic skills necessary to be a successful adult.

Become a foster parent Choose the location nearest you to request information about becoming a foster parent or mentor. We are recruiting new foster parents everywhere, but especially in Saginaw and Kalamazoo, where our program is expanding. Metro Detroit Ann Arbor Flint Grand Rapids Jackson Kalamazoo Lansing Saginaw

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is foster care?

How can I help?

What kind of children are in foster care?

What do foster parents do?

Can I have a job outside the home?

What kind of financial support would I get?

 
Where can I download well child exam forms for my foster child?