Foster Care Indiana
Formerly Dockside Services
We offer training resources for foster parents tailored to meet every child’s needs. Click the button below to find locations in Indiana.
Why Fostering With Clarvida is Different
We are a dedicated partner to foster parents, ensuring they have the resources and support necessary to make a lasting impact.
Training
Clarvida provides free training to help adults become licensed foster parents, and we provide ongoing support as they open their hearts to children in need of a safe, loving home.
Support
We provide reimbursement to offset the costs of raising a child, and our professional staff offer in-home case management services and 24/7 crisis support to all our foster parents.
Success
From assisting biological parents in regaining custody to supporting children to be adopted by forever families, success in foster care takes many shapes, and we’re here to nurture that success from all sides.
Foster Care Services
To better serve the nearly 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, we offer a variety of services.
Regular Foster Care
We recruit and train foster parents and license family foster homes to support the essential needs of foster children, including housing, parental support, and comfort.
Treatment Foster Care
We recruit, train, and license foster parents for a foster child who requires higher levels of behavioral support and/or clinical therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is foster care?
- A chance to make a positive experience in a child’s life during the most difficult time of their life (separation from family)
- One of the most rewarding and challenging commitments you will make in your life
- The opportunity to show stability, nurturance and security to a child who has been abused and neglected
- Being a successful foster parent is hard work and requires opening yourself and your home. Both single and dual-parent families make great foster parents.
Foster care also involves partnering with the child’s team of case managers, therapists, schools and community resources to meet an infant, child or young person’s needs. There are particular needs for those who desire to foster children who are in their pre-teen and adolescent years. There are additional programs available to provide these youths’ resources, while in your home, that will prepare them to achieve the goal of Independence. There are teams of professionals designated to work with these youths including case managers, therapists, life skill coaching (collaborative care), mentoring, etc. You will be part of a village of experienced professionals to assist both you and your teen navigate through this transition period to adulthood. The key qualification to become qualified as a foster parent is being able to meet the physical, emotional and developmental needs of a child. The Clarvida Licensing Worker will be able to help you evaluate whether this is something you desire to pursue.
What will I be required to do as a foster parent?
- Provide 24-hour care and supervision on a daily basis
- Be able to care for yourself financially without the child’s stipend
- Be flexible, patient an understanding
- Have a sense of humor
- Have a home free of fire and safety hazards
- Complete a criminal/protective services background check
- Have the ability to work as a member of a team
What are the steps to becoming a foster parent?
Step 1 – Congratulations
You have already accomplished step one by inquiring about fostering through Clarvida.
Step 2 – Make The Call
Please utilize the contact resources identified on this site. Make a call (219-838-8001), send an email or visit one of our many locations.
Step 3 – Our Licensing worker will contact you within 24 hours of receiving your information
You will be asked to attend an informational meeting at Clarvida or in the comfort of your home. The first meeting you will be provided an application and forms to complete. You will also receive a copy of the state foster care licensing rules and regulations.
Step 4 – Orientation and Pre-Service Training
You will be required to complete preserves training before you can become licensed or before a child is matched with your family. Training will include CPR and first aid training as part of the pre-service requirements (trainings are offered in-house). The orientation meeting will include detailed information about training requirements. Our licensing worker will provide all required trainings at a time and location convenient for you.
Step 5 – You’re on your way to licensure!
Our purpose is to help you, as a family, determine whether foster care is the right thing for you or family, and to assess the children you might best serve. We will also determine whether you meet the requirements for licensures and will gain a better understanding of which children would fit with your family. It involves gathering information about each member of your family and formally assessing your capability to care for children. We will complete a social history and questionnaires during the interviews. The licensing worker will ask you many questions about your childhood, relationship and interests. The SAFE home study assessment is extensive, but usually not difficult, and gives you an opportunity to think about yourself, your interests and your motivations.
Step 6 – At the end of the home study process, the licensing worker will complete a written report with recommendations.
The recommendations will include information about the children that might be best for your family, as well as areas of training you might need. The licensing worker will submit appropriate forms to the licensing agency in order to have the license issued.
Was Clarvida of Indiana formerly Dockside Services?
Yes! Dockside Services is now Clarvida. We still offer the same things, like foster care, mental health help, behavioral health, and support for addiction, but now as part of the Clarvida family.
Doing Good is Business As Usual
A career at Clarvida is so much more than a job. It’s an opportunity to create real change in your community and solve some of the greatest challenges facing our country today.
Ready to Foster a Child?
Click the button below to apply. From there, our team will answer your questions, help you understand the process and qualifications, and serve as your partner in navigating the foster care system.