Foster care is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is about opening your
home and your heart to a child who is not safe in his or her home due to abuse, neglect or
dependency. These children need a temporary, safe and nurturing environment where
they can thrive while their parents address the challenges in their lives with the
expectation that the child and parents will be reunited. When this outcome is not
possible, foster parents help prepare the child for adoption. Foster parenting is
rewarding, life-changing, heartbreaking and joyful. Are you ready for this adventure?
Guernsey County Children Services believes every child deserves a home. When a
child cannot remain with their birth family, adoption provides that permanent
family. Through our adoption services we create families by placing children in
their forever homes.

Kinship care is the most desirable out-of-home option for children who cannot
live with their parents. Kinship care preserves families, provides children with
greater stability, creates a sense of belonging, and enhances a child’s ability to
identify with and maintain their family’s culture and traditions. “Kin” can be
blood relatives, or can be a non-relative who has a bond with the child and/or
family. Kinship relationships are established through informal arrangements,
legal custody, guardianship, and kinship adoption. Whomever creates this
arrangement, and however it is created, kin caregivers make a voluntary,
courageous, and life-changing commitment to devote their lives to children in
their care.

If you are age 14 to 18 and are currently in foster care, the Independent Living
Program can help you make plans for your future. The program provides services
to assist teens and young adults with the transition from foster care to
independent living.