Northeast Kansas
Foster Care
Many children from Northeast Kansas, including Shawnee and Douglas Counties, are placed in other parts of the state simply because there is not an available foster home to take them in and care for them. Many times, they may be placed hours away, meaning they not only have to say goodbye to their families but also their community, school and friends. Even worse, siblings are often separated. You can help us change that!
Foster care is hard. We are honest about that. But it is also hopeful, and with the support of Foster the Cause and your church you will never be alone on your journey to love and care for Kansas kids.
We not only work to recruit you, but we also offer the state mandated training by a certified TIPS-MAPP trainer who is a Christian. You are able to take the state-required licensing course alongside others who share and respect your Christian faith. We offer both the 10-week large group TIPS-MAPP and also the 7-week Deciding Together course for smaller groups.
Additionally, we have a Christian volunteer Family Support Coordinator who is here to answer questions you may have at every step along the way. Once you are licensed and children are placed in your home, the Family Support Coordinator works with our partner churches (including your own) to help meet any needs that the kids or your family may have as you work in the mission field of foster care.
It’s important to remember that the goal of foster care is almost always to see the biological family reunified. We encourage the Christian foster families who we support to minister to the biological parents as well as the children by encouraging them to meet their goals in the hope that one day their child(ren) will be able to go home safely. Every case is different and sometimes supporting the birth parents isn’t possible, but we encourage our families to serve in whatever ways they can. While it is true that some children are never able to return home and become available for adoption, that is not the intent. We are looking for married couples and singles who are willing to minister to birth moms and dads (or other family members) to help their family be successful.
Northeast Kansas
What is the process?
- Attend an informational meeting: When a family is interested in finding out more about foster care in their area, they visit with Foster the Cause staff or contact us to set up an informational meeting. During this meeting (done both in-person and virtually), Foster the Cause staff will share information about fostering and the support our ministry provides.
- Attend pre-service training: If the family is interested in going deeper, they can visit with Foster the Cause staff to make arrangements to attend the state-mandated MAPP or DT pre-service training provided by Foster the Cause.
- Connect with local licensing agency for licensing: We are not a licensing agency. Once the pre-service training is complete, we will provide the family with contact information for local licensing agencies to complete the family foster home licensing process. But don’t worry, we stick with you while you work through that process with the agency.
- Serve children: Once a family receives their license from DCF they are able to start taking children into their home. The Foster the Cause family support coordinator works with the family to provide Christ-centered support as well as with the family’s home church (and others in the area) to develop whatever level of support the family needs. The support that Foster the Cause provides is in addition to the support the family will receive from their licensing agency.
Questions?
Contact us at the northeast office to visit with us about foster care.
Northeast Kansas
Adoption
There are children waiting right now in the state of Kansas, hoping to be adopted. Most of them are over the age of 6, teenagers, some with special physical or medical needs or part of a sibling group. If you are hoping to adopt an infant, then most likely you should consider a private domestic or international adoption. However, there are several hundred amazing kiddos right here in Kansas who would love for you to consider becoming their no-matter-what family! We would love to support you through the adoption of one (or more) of these great kids!
These children’s parental rights have been terminated– meaning that they are now legally available for adoption. Sadly, many of these young kids and teens do not have anyone coming for them. While some are adopted by their foster parents, many are left waiting–and often they age out of the foster care system without a permanent family of their own.
these cool kids! Simply visit our friends over at
Questions?
You likely have a lot of questions. That’s great! We’d love to visit with you to answer them. For those who are wanting to adopt only, the process is a quite different than for those who are wanting to foster children before or while they work on adoption. There’s a lot to the process, but don’t let that discourage you, it will be very worth while for children needing a family. We are here to point you in the right direction and walk through it with you, every step of the way. If you do adopt a child, we will continue to offer your family the same support that we provide for our families who foster.
Contact us at the northeast office below to visit with us about adoption.
Contact NE office
We’d love to talk to you and share more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Northeast Kansas.
Topeka
Heather Wherrell
Regional Coordinator
(785) 615-0077
hwherrell@fosterthecause.org
info@fosterthecause.org
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 5840
Topeka, KS 66605
Physical Address
4335 SE 29th St.
Topeka, KS 66605
(inside Shawnee Heights Baptist Church)
Northwest Kansas
Foster Care
Many children from Northwest Kansas, including Ellis and Barton Counties, are placed in other parts of the state simply because there is not an available foster home to take them in and care for them. Many times, they may be placed hours away, meaning they not only have to say goodbye to their families but also their community, school and friends. Even worse, siblings are often separated. You can help us change that!
Foster care is hard. We are honest about that. But it is also hopeful, and with the support of Foster the Cause and your church you will never be alone on your journey to love and care for Kansas kids.
We not only work to recruit you, but we also offer the state mandated training by a certified TIPS-MAPP trainer who is a Christian. You are able to take the state-required licensing course alongside others who share and respect your Christian faith. We offer both the large group TIPS-MAPP but more often the Deciding Together course for small groups.
Additionally, we have a Christian volunteer Family Support Coordinator who is here to answer questions you may have at every step along the way. Once you are licensed and children are placed in your home, the Family Support Coordinator works with our partner churches (including your own) to help meet any needs that the kids or your family may have as you work in the mission field of foster care.
It’s important to remember that the goal of foster care is almost always to see the biological family reunified. We encourage the Christian foster families who we support to minister to the biological parents as well as the children by encouraging them to meet their goals in the hope that one day their child(ren) will be able to go home safely. Every case is different and sometimes supporting the birth parents isn’t possible, but we encourage our families to serve in whatever ways they can. While it is true that some children are never able to return home and become available for adoption, that is not the intent. We are looking for married couples and singles who are willing to minister to birth moms and dads (or other family members) to help their family be successful.
Northwest Kansas
What is the process?
- Attend an informational meeting: When a family is interested in finding out more about foster care in their area, they visit with Foster the Cause staff or contact us to set up an informational meeting. During this meeting (done both in-person and virtually), Foster the Cause staff will share information about fostering and the support our ministry provides.
- Attend pre-service training: If the family is interested in going deeper, they can visit with Foster the Cause staff to make arrangements to attend the state-mandated MAPP or DT pre-service training provided by Foster the Cause.
- Connect with local licensing agency for licensing: We are not a licensing agency. Once the pre-service training is complete, we will provide the family with contact information for local licensing agencies to complete the family foster home licensing process. But don’t worry, we stick with you while you work through that process with the agency.
- Serve children: Once a family receives their license from DCF they are able to start taking children into their home. The Foster the Cause family support coordinator works with the family to provide Christ-centered support as well as with the family’s home church (and others in the area) to develop whatever level of support the family needs. The support that Foster the Cause provides is in addition to the support the family will receive from their licensing agency.
Questions?
Contact us at the northwest office to visit with us about foster care.
Northwest Kansas
Adoption
There are children waiting right now in the state of Kansas, hoping to be adopted. Most of them are over the age of 6, teenagers, some with special physical or medical needs or part of a sibling group. If you are hoping to adopt an infant, then most likely you should consider a private domestic or international adoption. However, there are several hundred amazing kiddos right here in Kansas who would love for you to consider becoming their no-matter-what family! We would love to support you through the adoption of one (or more) of these great kids!
These children’s parental rights have been terminated– meaning that they are now legally available for adoption. Sadly, many of these young kids and teens do not have anyone coming for them. While some are adopted by their foster parents, many are left waiting–and often they age out of the foster care system without a permanent family of their own.
these cool kids! Simply visit our friends over at
Questions?
You likely have a lot of questions. That’s great! We’d love to visit with you to answer them. For those who are wanting to adopt only, the process is a quite different than for those who are wanting to foster children before or while they work on adoption. There’s a lot to the process, but don’t let that discourage you, it will be very worth while for children needing a family. We are here to point you in the right direction and walk through it with you, every step of the way. If you do adopt a child, we will continue to offer your family the same support that we provide for our families who foster.
Contact us at the northwest office below to visit with us about adoption.
Contact NW office
We’d love to talk to you and share more about becoming a foster parent in Northwest Kansas.
Northwest Kansas
Janeen Cox
Regional Coordinator
(785) 369-0755
jcox@fosterthecause.org
info@fosterthecause.org
Mailing Address
PO Box 43
Ellis, KS 67637
Physical Address
1005 Washington
Ellis, KS 67637