FAQ's

Foster Connect is a secure platform designed to help licensed foster parents and child welfare professionals identify appropriate foster homes for respite, emergency, and longer-term placements more efficiently.

Our mission is to reduce placement disruptions, improve caregiver support, and help children experience greater stability by making it easier to connect licensed homes that best meet a child's needs.
Too often, licensed foster homes sit empty while children are sleeping in child welfare offices, shelters, and other inappropriate locations because available homes cannot be easily identified.

In many situations, workers and foster parents have resorted to searching for homes for youth through outdated siloed, manual spreadsheets and social media posts.

Foster Connect was created to provide a centralized, searchable platform where foster parents can create and update their profile and availability in real-time and provide an organized, secure, and streamlined approach to placing youth in foster homes that aims to best meet their needs.
Foster Connect will always remain free for foster parents.

Organizations, agencies, and government partners may pay subscription fees for additional administrative tools and enterprise features.
No.

Foster Connect does not make placement decisions.

The platform simply helps licensed caregivers and child welfare professionals locate potential placement options more efficiently.

All placement decisions remain the responsibility of the authorized child welfare agency in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policies.
Yes.

Licensed foster parents may use Foster Connect to identify other licensed foster homes willing to provide respite care, subject to all applicable DCFS policies, licensing requirements, and agency approval processes.
Yes.

Users may use Foster Connect to help identify homes that may be available for emergency placements.

Availability shown in the platform should never be considered approval for placement.
Foster Connect attempts to screen users during registration and use by requesting information such as:

Licensing agency

Licensing worker name and contact information

Assigned caseworker information

License status

Service region

Agreement to terms of use

These measures are designed to help improve the integrity of the platform and discourage fraudulent accounts but do not replace the need for final verification made by workers to confirm foster parent licenses are in good standing and in compliance with all child welfare agency requirements and laws.
No.

Although Foster Connect attempts to screen and verify users through information collected during registration, Foster Connect cannot independently guarantee that any individual is currently licensed, approved, authorized, or eligible to accept a child.

It is ultimately the responsibility of foster parents, licensing agencies, placement staff, and child welfare workers to independently verify all licensing information, approvals, placement eligibility, and any other required documentation in accordance with applicable DCFS policies, agency procedures, administrative rules, and state statutes before placing any child in a home for respite, emergency, short-term, or long-term care.

Foster Connect should be viewed as a search and filtering communication and matching tool, not a substitute for official verification or placement approval.
Not always.

A foster home's status can change quickly due to:

License renewals

Family needs

Capacity changes

Agency restrictions

Safety concerns

Investigations

Placement changes

Users should update their profiles as often as needed to ensure that those seeking homes for youth have access to accurate information and availability of foster homes.
Before placing a child in a home located through Foster Connect, all parties should work together to verify:

Current foster home license status

Capacity

Age range approval

Gender approval

Specialized training

Medical approvals

Licensing restrictions

Agency approvals

Background check status

Current placement availability

Any additional requirements under DCFS policy
Users control much of the information displayed in their profiles.

Information may include:

General location or region

Home characteristics

Age ranges accepted

Experience

Training

Languages spoken

Pets

Accessibility features

Availability

Specialized skills

Exact home addresses are not publicly displayed, and users should not include any pictures or information on their profile that could be used to identify them or youth in their care.
Protecting user information is a top priority.

Foster Connect uses commercially reasonable security measures designed to protect user information. However, no online platform can guarantee absolute security.

Users should never provide confidential case information on the platform and should only communicate confidential information through methods approved by department and agency policies.
Yes.

Participation is voluntary.

Foster parents may decline any request without penalty and this is not reflected in their profile.
No.

Foster Connect is intended to support, not replace, existing agency placement processes.

Final placement authority always remains with the authorized agency.
Yes.

Users must provide their licensing agency and can search for foster parents across multiple agencies. However, it is ultimately up to the licensing agency to approve sharing a home they have licensed and all parties must complete all placement clearance requirments before placing a youth in a foster home.
Users can obtain technical and other support by contacting Foster Connect by email at: contact@foster-connect.com.

Disclaimer

Foster Connect is a technology platform intended to facilitate communication and help identify potential foster homes to best support youth in foster care.

Foster Connect does not license foster homes, approve placements, supervise caregivers, or verify ongoing eligibility for placement.

While Foster Connect attempts to screen users by collecting information such as licensing worker and caseworker details that should be shared to support placement, it cannot independently confirm or guarantee that any user is currently licensed, approved, or eligible to receive a child.

Before any child is placed in a home for respite, emergency, short-term, or long-term care, foster parents, licensing agencies, placement staff, and child welfare professionals are solely responsible for independently verifying all licensing information, approvals, eligibility requirements, and applicable documentation in accordance with the child welfare department and agency policies, procedures, administrative rules, and governing statutes. Use of Foster Connect does not replace or modify any legal or professional responsibilities or requirements.