St. Joseph Children's Home, Louisville KY

Description
St. Joseph Children's Home has been serving children for over 160 years. Families and society have changed since 1849, but at St. Joe's our commitment to children and families in need has not. Since the 1970's St. Joseph Children's Home has evolved into a more diversified child caring facility with a multitude of programs to help families face the challenges of life. The Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption Program was established in 1996. The children are referred to the program from our own Residential Treatment Program and from various social service agencies in the state of Kentucky. These are children who have suffered abuse and neglect, have been uprooted from their family, home and neighborhood, and who need not only the love of new families but also the structure and guidance of well trained parents. Even though there are no longer orphans at St. Joe's, there are many, many children who need quality foster care and adoptive homes. Unfortunately the reality is there are always more children than there are homes. We are in need of families interested in fostering and adopting. We are especially looking for parents interested in sibling groups, older children, teens, children with behavior problems and children with special needs. We provide extensive training and support.

Adoption Process
The application/certification process takes about 3-4 months. There is a 10 session/36 hour training program which covers the basic topics you will need to know to bring a foster child into your family. CPR/First Aid certification is required. There is also paperwork and background checks and references to gather. After training is complete there will be a home visit where the placement specialist goes over health and safety issues in the home and discuses any questions you might have. A Home Study is written that assesses the potential adoptive family and summarizes their strengths, skills, attitudes and other qualifications that bear on the challenges of adoptive parenting. Then a match is sought. Having children come live with you is a big commitment, so finding the right match is crucial. Children are placed for adoption by matching their needs with adoptive parents' or families' situations. You will never be forced to accept a child, you select the level of needs and age range you will consider. There is a minimum of a 6 month window prior to finalization during which the child is placed in your home for adoption but remains under the care of the state. If the placement is stable and everyone is ready, finalization of the adoption proceeds.

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