Foster Care Questions & Answers
Considering foster care can bring a lot of questions. BCH is here to walk with you from your first conversation through licensing and beyond. Start with the answers below, then explore the guides and stories that fit your next step.
First steps toward foster care
What is foster care?
Foster care provides temporary, safe homes for children during a family crisis while their parents work toward reunification or another permanent plan. It is not about replacing a child’s family; it is about offering stability, care, and hope during a difficult season. Learn how BCH foster care works.
How do I become a foster parent in North Carolina?
Begin with a conversation or an information meeting. BCH then walks prospective families through application, references, home visits, training, and state licensing. Read the step-by-step foster parent guide.
How long does it take to become a foster parent?
Through BCH, licensing typically takes about four to six months. The timing depends in part on completing training, paperwork, home visits, background checks, and the state review. See the full licensing timeline.
Does BCH work with single foster-parent applicants?
North Carolina permits single adults to become foster parents. BCH’s family foster care ministry is designed for married couples—a husband and wife who serve together in caring for a child. Talk with the BCH foster care team about the ministry model and next steps.
Can BCH foster parents work full-time?
Many foster parents work full-time. BCH helps families understand the requirements and build a plan for care and support that fits their household. Explore the requirements and process.
What foster care looks like
What is the goal of foster care?
Reunification with a child’s family is the primary goal whenever it is safe and possible. Foster parents provide consistent, loving care while BCH and DSS work alongside the child and family toward permanency. Understand out-of-home care and BCH’s role.
How long do children stay in foster care?
Every child’s situation is different. A stay may be brief or longer-term, depending on the steps needed for reunification, kinship care, adoption, or another permanent plan. Learn more about foster care through BCH.
Can foster parents choose the age of children they care for?
Families can share the ages and needs they feel prepared to care for. BCH works to make placements that are a good fit for the child and the family. Children of all ages, including teens and sibling groups, need safe, loving homes. See how placement and support work.
What support does BCH provide foster parents?
BCH provides licensing guidance, trauma-informed training, case management, 24/7 support, and connection with other foster families. You do not have to arrive with prior experience; BCH equips you for the journey. Explore support for foster families.
Supporting reunification and family connection
What is shared parenting in foster care?
Shared parenting is a collaborative relationship between foster parents and a child’s birth parents. When appropriate, it helps maintain a child’s connection to family, culture, and routines while everyone works toward reunification. Read how Christina and Jon partnered with Casey.
Do foster parents have contact with birth parents?
Contact can be part of a child’s plan, with BCH and DSS providing guidance for what is safe, appropriate, and helpful for the child. Foster parents may support visits, share updates, and build respectful relationships that encourage reunification. See a real BCH shared-parenting story.
Can foster care lead to adoption?
Adoption may become an option when reunification and kinship placement are no longer possible, but it is not the purpose of foster care. The first goal is to support a child’s family whenever it is safe to do so. Learn about BCH’s foster care approach.
Ways to help without fostering
What is respite care?
Respite care is short-term, licensed care that gives foster parents a needed break while a child continues to receive safe, familiar support. It is one meaningful way families can serve. Ask BCH about respite opportunities.
How can my church support foster families?
Churches can pray, provide meals and practical help, build support teams, host training, encourage respite care, and help more families learn about foster care. Explore ways your church can partner with BCH.
Real BCH stories
- Parker’s story: family does not have to be blood
- Christina and Jon help Casey reunite her family
- Malik’s story: foster care is about restoration
Ready to talk about fostering?
You do not have to have every answer before taking the first step. Start a conversation with BCH’s foster care team or attend an upcoming information meeting.