Change a Life
Learn how to become a foster parent in NJ and make a real difference in the life of a child in need.
In New Jersey, the term Foster Parent has been replaced with Resource Parent. This term more accurately reflects the Resource Parent’s supportive role to the children, the children’s family, and the professional team. The Resource Parent serves a critical role in supporting reunification efforts (the primary goal for most children entering out-of-home care).
Thank you for your interest in becoming a resource parent to children and youth in state care. NJ resource parents are essential members of the professional team working collaboratively towards meeting the needs of the child/youth. Our most successful resource parents possess an abundance of patience, empathy, and unwavering commitment to making a difference in a young person’s life.
We need passionate, committed individuals/families like YOU who can offer loving guidance and support to children while their birth family mends. We are actively recruiting Resource Parents who are:
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Racially/culturally sensitive, and open to accepting children from diverse backgrounds
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Open to caring for children who have experienced trauma, and often have increased behavioral/mental health/medical needs
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Open to caring for sibling groups, and maintaining connections with siblings who cannot be placed together
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Willing to care for older youth (13-17) who need caring adults who will help them learn life skills and successfully transition into adulthood
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Open and affirming to LGBTQIA+ children and youth
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Willing to partner with CP&P, courts, the treatment team, community partners, and ideally the child’s family, to support reunification
In New Jersey, the number of youth in foster care continues to be reduced each year due to a focus on services that strengthen and assist families to prevent abuse and neglect, and the prioritization of kinship care when out of home placement is required. As a result, the state has begun to process only the inquiries of prospective resource families who are willing and able to provide a loving home to the following specialized populations (see the additional note below if you are a Camden county resident):
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Children and youth with complex behavioral health, developmental, and medical needs
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Adolescent youth ages 13-17
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Sibling Groups of 4 or more
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NJ children and youth cleared for adoption – children and youth who are currently cleared for adoption have unique needs and include characteristics of the other 3 specialized populations described above
