Becoming a Foster Parent
The Family Integrity Program is proud to be the only provider of Foster Care services for St. Johns County. We are the only agency in the county that recruits, licenses, services, and maintains Family Foster Homes for our county’s children.
The Licensing Process
The Licensing of a home is a mutual selection process wherein the Family Integrity Program, the Department of Children and Families, and the foster applicant(s) all play a part in making an informed decision about whether Foster Care will be a successful endeavor at this time. The licensing process takes months, and it proceeds at a pace reflective of each home’s readiness for the commitment.
Pre-Service Training
The required pre-service training consists of ten, three-hour classes, homework, and field-based exercises. The classes incorporate the best of other pre-service curriculums found throughout the state, such as: the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP), PRIDE, and the Passport to Quality Parenting. The experience is meant to be educational, challenging, and fun, and the material is presented in many different ways to accommodate people’s different learning styles. We offer classes on a rotational basis throughout the year. Prior to the beginning of each round of classes, an informational orientation session is held for prospective attendees.
Home Study
In addition to the completion of the pre-service training requirements, applicants must participate in the development of a Home Study which will include: background checks on all household members and regular visitors, home inspections, financial statements, references, and family, personal, and medical histories. It is a lengthy and intrusive process, but consider the level of vetting that you would like to have completed before someone watched one of your loved ones day-in and day-out.
More Information
For pre-service training and orientation dates, or to speak with someone regarding how you can help the children of St. Johns County, please call (904) 209-6131 or email kclayton@sjcfl.us.
About Foster Care: Florida’s Department of Children and Families covers how to become a foster parent, how to decide if you are ready, contact lists, ways to help, first steps and helpful links.
Florida Child Care Information: Florida’s Department of Children and Families Child Care Information portal.
Foster Home Support
As an existing Foster Care provider, the Family Integrity Program works to provide you educational and emotional support throughout your journey.
Training and Online Support
The sites listed below provide many training opportunities to assist in meeting the needs of trauma-affected children, working with birth parents, negotiating the Dependency system, and many other aspects of being a Foster caregiver:
Foster Parent Associations
Foster Parent Associations are a great way to get training hours while networking with other Foster Parents; people who can relate to the demands, frustrations, and celebrations of being a Foster Caregiver.
- The Greater St. Johns Foster and Adoptive Parent Association – meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7 pm. The locations alternate between the Northeast Florida Regional Airport Special Events Building located at 4730 Casa Cola Way, St. Augustine, FL and Creekside Christian Church located at 92 Life Springs Way, St. Johns, FL. Most meetings have a training component that counts towards the annual 8 hour in-service training requirements for re-licensure. For more information, email Kim at mayocorrealk@bellsouth.net
- State Foster Adoptive Parent Association – The Florida State Foster/Adoptive Parent Association (FSFAPA) is a statewide membership group for all foster, adoptive, relative and non-relative caregivers in Florida. Membership is free for all caregivers.
