Foster care is the broad term used to define a service for children who, for a variety of reasons, have been identified as a child in need of a safe and stable environment and have been placed in a state-licensed temporary home. In Alabama, the overseeing agency of child welfare is called The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). When DHR does not have enough foster homes for children in need, placement can be sought within other licensed agencies such as Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes.

Foster care is intended to provide a temporary home for children where the primary goal is returning them to their biological families. Currently in Alabama, there is a need for foster parents willing to serve older children and sibling groups in foster care. 

FOSTER PARENT

One of our fastest growing ministries in the past two decades is foster care. We are one of the leaders in Christian foster care in the state of Alabama. Learn more about the ABCH Difference in Foster Care. Find out when classes are available in your area.

RESPITE CARE

One of the least known ways you can serve is as a respite care provider. As a respite care provider, you take care of foster children when full-time foster parents need a break or when emergencies arise that require a temporary placement for a child. Respite caregivers can serve anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at a time. It is important to note that all respite caregivers are required to go through the same training that foster parents go through.

CAMPUS FOSTER CARE

Campus Foster Care is a campus-based foster care model of Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries. In this new ministry model, we provide larger, traditional foster care homes on an existing ABCH campus. The Campus Foster Care ministry exists in addition to our current Foster Care and Campus Care ministries. This new method of foster care maintains the standard of care established by ABCH and allows us to effectively provide care for the most vulnerable children of Alabama. Learn more about Campus Foster Care.

There are so many unique benefits to answering the call to become a foster parent through Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries. Learn more about partnering with us.

Children come to us in one of two ways:

• Through a process called Private Placement where the child's parent or guardian decides to place the child with us for a time.

• The Alabama Department of Human Resources and the court decide it would be in a child's best interest to be placed with us.

Children live in ABCH licensed foster homes.

Providing homes for children is our budget’s greatest expense. Donations from churches, individuals, and businesses help to cover this cost.

We can accept children from birth to age 18. We can accept children with special needs that are within our scope of care.

We cannot accept children who need therapeutic care. We cannot accept children who are adjudicated delinquent.

No, we serve children and families from a broad range of backgrounds.

• Medical Care (when needed)

• Food and Clothing

• School Needs (including tutoring and supplies)

• Participation in School, Church, and Community Activities

• Church Attendance and Daily Devotions

• Transportation

• Counseling with our Pathways Professional Counselors (when needed)

They come from homes across Alabama.

In the case of Private Placements, which happen for a variety of reasons, the children are brought to us directly from their legal guardian without any state intervention. In those cases, the parent(s) or guardian(s) retain custody of the children.

In other cases, The Alabama Department of Human Resources has become the custodian and will retain custody of the children while our foster parents serve as their caretakers. The hope from the state and from ABCH is that we can serve the children in our care while the biological parents work to regain custodial rights to their children.