Foster Care

This is our newest program and one of our most exciting to date. We are an approved child placing agency which allows us to be in charge of our own foster homes for children. Our goal is to train qualified, quality foster parents from the surrounding communities and provide them with a case manager who will oversee their needs and ensure that the child is receiving the best possible care.

Our caseloads are smaller and more "hands-on" than the traditional Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) worker and this allows for more effective coordination of services for the child. We have five approved foster homes to date and five more in training. Two of the children placed in homes are likely to move to permanent adoption. Over 3,000 foster homes are needed in Georgia to serve all the children in care and we hope to make a dent in that number.

There are two methods of reimbursement for Open Arms foster parents:

• You may choose to be a foster parent of 1-3 children and receive a per diem amount from Open Arms for your services, per child.

• You may choose to be a stay-at-home parent for 3 or more children and receive a yearly contract from Open Arms for doing so.

Foster parents will be involved in the entire child placement process including pre-placement, placement, treatment, case reviews, reunification with birth parents, and discharge from the program.

If you are interested in opening your home and your heart to a child in need, give Open Arms Foster Care a call at 229-435-0979.

	Be in good physical and mental health
	Live in a home that meets minimum standards. The home must also meet certain safety requirements with regard to smoke alarms, vented heaters, fenced pools, etc.
	Undergo required physical exams, drug screens and criminal record checks.
	Complete 20-30 hours of pre-service training. To maintain approval, there are minimum training hours that must be completed each year depending on the year of service and the needs of the child/children.

For information about our next scheduled foster care trainings or to confirm your spot, please call 229-435-0979.