There are over 4,000 available children awaiting forever families in the state of Ohio. Each county has its own adoption and foster services. Ohio also has over 200 private agencies. Ohio is county-administered and state supervised.

Contact Information

Ohio Family Care Association

Pinkie Thomas

(614) 222-2712

pinkie@ofcaonline.org

Para información en español, contacte:

Rosa Nance

(678) 575-9190

pinkie@ofcaonline.org

Licensing Requirements for Foster or Adoption

In order to adopt, you must be at least 18 years of age.

In order to foster, you must be 21 years of age.

To foster or adopt, you will be expected to participate in educational sessions. A homestudy will be completed by your agency that will include your motivation to adopt or foster, your life experiences and history, your ability to support your family financially, your health and your support system. You will complete to a criminal background check. A fire inspection and safety audit will be completed on your home.

Does it Cost to Foster or Adopt?

No.

Parent Support Groups

We have lots of wonderful information about how to find support groups near you at the Ohio Family Care website: www.ofcaonline.org.

The information is organized by regions within Ohio. To find the parent support groups in your region, please go to: www.ofcaonline.org/pages/resources/resources-by-region.php. Or, you can call us at (614) 222-2712.

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

We have lots of wonderful information about how to find agencies near you at our Ohio Family Care website: www.ofcaonline.org

The information is organized by regions within Ohio. To find the agencies in your region, please go to: www.ofcaonline.org/pages/resources/resources-by-region.php. Or, you can call us at (614) 222-2712.

Within each of the regions, you will find the adoption agencies, county agencies and foster agencies in that region. For information on an agency’s orientations or address, please contact the individual agencies.

Information on Children

There are 17,442 children in foster care in Ohio; 4,348 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.

Upcoming Events

Ohio Family Care Association is participating in the nationwide “Walk Me Home” project. The walk will take place in Columbus, Ohio and is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, 2008.

The annual Resource conference is scheduled for June 19-21, 2008.

Please call our office for more information on either of the events.