By Staff
BRIDGETON – The Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) Children and Family Ministries (CFM) has five regional offices throughout the state focusing on foster and adoptive parent recruiting, training and placement and case management for children needing homes.
There are several ways people can minister through the MBCH, including family foster care, therapeutic foster care, respite care and adoption.
Family foster care under the MBCH provides case managements services with the goal of finding a permanent home for children in state custody.
Therapeutic Family Foster Care program is designed to serve children and youth who may have special behavioral, emotional, mental or physical health needs in a community-based setting.
The Respite Care program provides temporary short-term care for children. This program is designed to be a supportive service to the other foster care programs provided by MBCH CFM.
The Missouri Baptist Children’s Home CFM helps facilitate state custody foster and adoptive placements. Prospective foster parents and adoptive parents receive specialized training through MBCH CFM to equip them in parenting special needs children who are in state custody. These foster parents and adoptive parents receive support from MBCH CFM staff once children are placed in their homes.
The Missouri Baptist Children’s Home CFM also helps facilitate private adoptive placements, both agency and independent. Adoptive parents choose to become legal, permanent parents of a child. In an agency adoption, the birth mother places the child through MBCH CFM and chooses the adoptive family from MBCH CFM-approved family profiles. In an independent adoption, the birth mother has identified the adoptive family she wants for her child. MBCH CFM completes the adoptive home study and required post-placement support. MBCH CFM can also complete international adoption home studies as well as the post-placement support.
On average the process to become a licensed foster parent takes about 90-120 days. There are several requirements such as a 10-week training course, paperwork, criminal and background checks, and a completed home study.
To discuss the possibility of becoming an adoptive or foster parent, call the MBCH CFM Foster/Adoptive Department at 1-800-264-6224 or e-mail them at foster.adoptive@MBCH.org. The Foster/Adoption Application form is available at www.mbch.org/services/servicesadoption.asp to print and complete or can be filled out online.