What is A Place To Call Home?
A Place To Call Home is a foster care and adoption service agency contracted to provide foster care licensing, adoption certification, monitoring, training and placement coordination services for licensed and certified homes. We specialize in serving children and adults with medical needs and/or developmental disabilities who are in need of out of home care.

What are some of the general licensing and/or certification requirements?

• Have household consensus to be licensed/certified.

• Meet with agency staff for individual and family interviews.

• Complete pre-service training.

• Complete the application and its requirements.

• Be 21 or older.

• Provide references.

• Clear fingerprints and criminal history check.

• Clear Child and Adult Protective Services check.

• Submit a physician's statement verifying physical and mental health.

• Be First Aid and CPR certified.

• Pass a DES State inspection of your home.

• Have an income that financially supports your household.

• Have adequate transportation.

• Have a driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance.

• Have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the home.

• Lock guns and ammunition separately.

• Have bedroom space in the home available.

• Support the case plan.

• Participate as a professional team member.

Please refer to our Licensing section for more detailed information about licensing/certification adoption requirements.

What is Adoption?
Adoption is a permanent commitment to a child. It entails the official, legal process of transferring parental rights from the child's biological family to the child's adoptive family. Once this process is complete, the adoptive parents become the child's legal guardian and are responsible for the child's well being. This includes several crucial functions, such as caring for the child, supervising the child, nurturing the child, educating the child, providing for the child's physical and mental health needs, and financially supporting the child. By adopting a child, an adult is making an everlasting choice to raise and nurture a child well into adulthood, incorporating them fully as a true member of their family.

Families wishing to adopt foster children have many things to consider. It is very important to assess if you are ready and willing to unconditionally commit to a child. The child you choose to adopt will depend on the characteristics of the child you wish to adopt and how long you are willing to wait for your child.

All adoptions require the completion of a home study document. This document details personal information regarding your family, its members, and characteristics therein. A Place To Call Home will complete this document with you within six to eight weeks to help prepare you and your family for adoption. A Place To Call Home offers training to help you be the best parent you can be as well as to meet adoption certification training requirements. In addition, we provide reliable and caring staff assistance to help navigate through the adoption process.

There is a tremendous need for adoptive families in Arizona. Presently, there are over 10,000 children in foster care, many of whom are available for adoption. It may also interest you to know that you can adopt a child for a fraction of the expense associated with private or international adoptions. In addition, if the minimal expense to adopt a child in Arizona through A Place to Call Home ($800.00) is deemed a hardship, the fees may be waived.

For more information about adopting a foster child in Arizona or becoming adoption certified, please contact us at (480) 456-0549. You may also refer to www.azdes.gov/dcyf/adoption/ and www.adoptuskids.org.

What is Child Specific Recruitment?
Traditionally, when families are interested in adoption, they are interviewed regarding the type of child they would like. The typical adoption process starts with the family, exploring the family’s interests. Characteristics and traits are discussed and desires and wishes of the family are discovered. Once a matched child is identified, the family makes a permanent commitment to a child, thus joining their lives forever. These are important considerations.

Child Specific Recruitment takes a different approach. Child Specific Recruitment is individualized recruitment of a family for a specific foster child. Children referred to Child Specific Recruitment are legally free and have no identified adoptive resource. This process starts with a child identified as eligible for adoption. It is different from the traditional approach to adoption in that Child Specific Recruitment starts with the child. This child's needs are identified first. The child's wants, needs, desires, characteristics, history, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies are explored. The child is viewed as an individual who deserves all benefits associated with the commitment of a permanent family. The child's culture, religion, language, and traditions are not only acknowledged, but celebrated. If the child is at the age and developmental level to communicate, the child is asked about their preferences, likes, dislikes, wishes, and dreams.

Children who are highlighted in the Child Specific Recruitment are unique. They are often older children who have not yet been able to find a family who can adequately meet their needs. They may even resist the idea of being a part of a family because they have never realized or experienced what a loving, supportive, and nurturing environment a family can be. All applicant families are interviewed and assessed as to which family is most appropriate and can best meet the needs of the child. The most appropriate family will be selected to begin the adoption process.

A Place To Call Home is committed to finding adoptive homes for children and families. We explore all possible options from both perspectives. We believe that all children deserve the opportunity to have a permanent family of their own. Please contact us or click on Child Specific Recruitment to learn more information about the children available through Child Specific Recruitment.

What is Targeted Recruitment?
Targeted Recruitment is a recruitment technique to identify families that would be likely to consider adopting or fostering specific identified populations of children in care, such as by age range, children from minority ethnicity, sibling groups, specific geographical areas and special needs children. Targeted Recruitment events are exciting ways for A Place To Call Home to recruit new families who are interested in foster care and/or adoption. We target specific areas in the Phoenix and Tucson areas in order to recruit families, which mirror the targeted populations of foster children in need of foster care and adoption. Targeted Recruitment is an avenue to increase diversity within our agency and the foster care/adoption system. We host Targeted Recruitment events through such venues as community events, civic organizations, local fairs, faith organizations, media outlets and public celebrations.

To learn more about Targeted Recruitment and our specific efforts, click on Targeted Recruitment.

What is ACYF?
The Administration of Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), is an administration of the Department of Economic Security (DES) for the State of Arizona. DES/ACYF is responsible for providing services to children in the State of Arizona’s custody. Among their many services to children, ACYF is responsible for the facilitation of foster care and adoption services. Children come into the foster care and adoption system through Child Protection Services (CPS). When children cannot safely live with their parents or custodians, foster parents become the temporary family for them. Children in need of foster care range in age and many have special behavioral and medical needs. Children come into care as sibling groups and represent all ethnic groups. ACYF attempts to first place children with relatives and kin whenever possible. However, there are many times when a child’s own family is not able to care for them at home safely. In these situations, the child then is in need of a safe and loving permanent foster and/or adoptive home.

What is DDD?
The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) is a division of the Department of Economic Security (DES) for the State of Arizona. DDD is the state entity that provides services to qualifying individuals with developmental disabilities. Children and adults that meet the criteria for developmental disabilities become eligible to receive the many supports, resources and services provided by DDD. To be determined eligible for DDD services, a child or adult must be evaluated and diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy or mental retardation. The mission of the Division of Developmental Disabilities is to support the choices of individuals with disabilities and their families by promoting and providing, within the communities, flexible, quality, consumer-driven services and supports. Many times, the families of children and adults with developmental disabilities are in need of out of home care supports. Other times, children or adults already in out of care homes are in need of a new placement. Still yet, there are a number of foster children with disabilities that require out of home care. Combined, these instances where children and adults need out of home care are facilitated by DDD to identify a foster home or adoptive placement.

What is KIDS Consortium?
A Place To Call Home has been a proud member of the KIDS Consortium for four years. Through KIDS, A Place To Call Home is able to connect with other foster care and/or adoption licensing agencies. This provides us with the opportunity to network with one another, share ideas, receive training, offer guidance, and clarify direction. A Place To Call Home attends KIDS meetings monthly in order to keep apprised of the most current foster care and adoption issues, requirements and processes. The purpose of KIDS is to bring together and coordinate agencies towards the efforts of centralized recruitment of potential foster and adoptive family homes for the children in need of foster and adoptive placement in Maricopa County.

For more information about the KIDS Consortium call:
1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633)
Or
602-255-KIDS (602 255-5437)