Oct
10
Emma
When Emma was 7 years old, her mother’s illness worsened, making her unable to provide meals and the basic care Emma needed. Despite her mother’s love, Emma was placed in foster care due to severe neglect. Blessed by the stability of one of our loving foster families, she gradually began to smile again, did better in school, made friends, and was healthier. She is just one example of how a foster family can impact a child’s life. We know you aren’t perfect, but foster parents do not need to have all the answers. You need a safe home, a willing heart, and a desire to provide steady care for a child who needs someone in their corner.
Black Mountain Home walks with you through the process, including training, licensing, support, and ongoing encouragement. You will not do this alone.
We offer convenient information sessions monthly. If you have questions or would like to learn more about foster care, simply complete this Foster Care Form, and someone will be in touch soon.
Can’t foster now? Make a donation to help us recruit, train, and support families who can.
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Foster Local Children. Keep Families Connected.
When a child enters foster care, the first question is simple: Is there a safe, loving family nearby?
Too often, the answer is no. Since Black Mountain Home launched our foster care program in 2009, we have been unable to accept hundreds of placement requests, because there were not enough local licensed foster families available.
That means children who have already experienced abuse, neglect, loss, or instability may have to leave their school, church, friends, community, and sometimes even their brothers and sisters. You can help change that.
If you feel called to help children, fostering allows you to do that for children from your own region; children who need safety, stability, and a family willing to say yes during one of the hardest seasons of their lives.
If you live in Western North Carolina and would like to learn more about foster care, simply contact our Foster Care team at 828-686-3451, email [email protected], or click here to request for someone to contact you.
*Please note, you must live in North Carolina to be licensed through Black Mountain Home. If you live in a different state, please get in touch with a foster care agency near you.
Children do better when they can remain connected to what is familiar: their school, their community, their siblings, and, whenever safely possible, their extended family. A foster home close to home gives a child security while keeping them connected to the people, routines, and support systems that matter.
Black Mountain Home works with social services departments in Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey, and other counties throughout Western North Carolina.
At Black Mountain Home, we need families and individuals willing to foster children of all ages, especially sibling groups and older children and teens.
Black Mountain Home has been serving children and families in WNC for more than 100 years.
Click here for a NC foster care orientation video.
Are you an agency making a referral? Fax a completed Intake Application to (828) 686-7797 or email it to [email protected]. Black Mountain Home accepts the standard board rates.
To Watch a Live Interview with Foster Care Parents, Click Here
FAQs about Foster Care at Black Mountain Home
What type of Foster Care is provided through BMH?
1. Family Foster Care: Care provided for a child while their parents work with a social worker to resolve the family issues that caused the child to be removed from the home. The length of time varies with each case, typically 9 to 12 months.
2. Respite Foster Care: This is to give the child’s foster parents a break or during placement transitions.
How does a child come into Foster Care?
A child may be placed in foster care at the request of his or her parents or guardian or by order of the court if the child has been abused, neglected, is at risk of harm, or when a child’s behavior is beyond the control of those responsible for his or her care. A child may also be removed from because of an emergency or safety issue in the house.
When the court/DSS approves, foster parents are encouraged to help children maintain relationships with their birth parents. When children see harmony among their caregivers, it contributes to their sense of well-being and security. Shared Parenting Video
Do I get to choose the age of children? Every attempt is made to match a child to a family that can meet the child’s specific needs and prevent disruption. While the ages of children range from newborns to teenagers, most are age six and younger.
Can I adopt my foster children? While the law mandates that DSS makes every effort to reunify families, it is not always possible. At that time, children do become available for adoption.
What are the basic qualifications for becoming a foster parent? You can be single or married, must be at least 21 years of age with a stable income, and have an
additional bedroom for child.
What are the requirements to be licensed?
• Home study and fire inspection
• Criminal background check
• 30 hours of training provided by BMH
Can I afford it? You will receive monthly payments to help you meet your foster child’s needs. Foster children are eligible for free lunch, daycare vouchers, and state medical care.
What makes Black Mountain Home for Children different from other family foster care agencies?
• Access to 24/7 on-call support
• Ongoing training
• Opportunities for youth to be involved in campus activities and retreats, as well as educational support, study hall, and tutoring
What training is required, and when is it offered? We offer two trainings, both of which fulfill the NC Licensing requirement. Neither automatically commit you to becoming a foster parent. You can choose to opt out at any time during or after the training. You may also train with another agency and then foster through BMH; however, training with our team allows us to get to know you and helps us more successfully match you with children.
• GPS MAPP Training– This group class is offered multiple times yearly. Sessions are held one evening per week for 10 weeks.
• Deciding Together – This class provides an opportunity to decide whether fostering is right for your family. It is scheduled based on individual families’ availability and lasts 2 to 3 hours per week for 7 weeks.
Fostering Perspectives
“I always thought fostering was something I would do when I was married. And I also hesitated because I thought it would be hard to hear children’s stories and possibly see them return to difficult situations. But, after I moved I was living here in this house, by myself, and thought, maybe that was something i needed to consider. I did consider it and prayed about it. And then, I took the class offered at the Black Mountain Home. I kept telling God He could stop me at any point. But He never did. Now, I’m fostering my first child. I left one Tuesday morning and returned to a kid in my house on Tuesday afternoon. It’s been quite an adventure. God’s been stretching me and teaching me a lot – about loving unconditionally. And I’m learning not to push, but be open so she can talk about whatever she feels the need to talk about.” -45 Single Foster Mom