Foster Care & Adoption

Open Your Heart, Open Your Home

You can make a positive difference in the life of child by becoming a foster parent or adopting.

Who Can Qualify and Become A Foster or Adoptive Parent? 

• You must be at least 21 years old 
• You can be married, single, or living in partnership 
• Have your own source of income 
• Have a bed for each child 
• Have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors 
• Provide a safe and healthy home 
• Each person in the home 18 years or older must be fingerprinted and cleared through the Child Abuse Registry, FBI and Justice Center Registry

To talk to us about becoming a foster care or adoptive parent, call 845-486-3220 or email FosterCare@DutchessNY.gov.

Foster Care

Foster Care provides children age newborn to 21 with temporary, safe, loving homes, when their own families are unable to care for them.

• Foster Parents become part of a countywide team working together to support, nurture, and protect children.
• Becoming a Foster Parent is not a lifetime commitment to a child, it is a commitment that will have a meaningful impact on a child’s life.  

What are the Steps To Become A Foster Parent?

• Attend one of our monthly Orientation Meetings 
• Complete and return the Agency’s Registration Form 
• Attend a 10-week Foster/Adoptive Parent training program
• Have a Home Study completed by our agency

What Support is Provided to the Foster Parents?

• A stipend for food, clothing, and board, based on the child’s age and need for special services 
• Medicaid Managed Care insurance for the child  
• Payment for daycare for working parents 
• Support from individual caseworker 
• Ongoing training to learn about caring for children in foster care

Who Are The Children Who Come Into Foster Care?

• They are between the ages of newborn and 18 They can be any ethnicity  
• They are from Dutchess County  
• They may have been removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or maltreatment.  
• They may have been voluntarily placed by their parents who themselves were unable to provide for them.  
• They may have special physical and/or emotional needs  
• They may be very intelligent or need special schooling 
• They may be a single child or be with their siblings

Adoption

Visit the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Adopt A Child web page for more information regarding the legal regulations in New York State.