Do you want to make a lasting difference in a child’s life? Do you want to help your community in a meaningful way? Do you feel fulfilled caring for others? Then you should consider becoming a medical foster care parent and be a hero to kids in need.

The Florida Medical Foster Care Program provides care for foster children, ages birth to 21 years, who need a home with a foster family to provide for their medical needs. While part of the state’s foster care system, medical foster care parents receive additional training and support.

Every day, there are children throughout Florida waiting for a home. That’s why the state has launched a recruitment campaign with the goal of ensuring there are more medical foster care homes available than are needed. There are children throughout Florida that enter foster care with medically complex needs, and we want to find them loving homes for support.

What is it like being a medical foster care parent?

It takes a lot to be a medical foster care parent. A lot of hugs. A lot of hard work. A lot of heart. It’s work with purpose and meaning. Because what you give to a child with needs that are bigger than your own is the chance to thrive.

Florida needs more individuals and families who can provide a nurturing home setting for medically complex children. That might mean a child with a chronic physical condition like asthma, anemia, or hearing loss. It can be a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding work as well.

“As a medical foster care parent, we have the chance to bring a child in need into a home setting to provide care. Watching a child meet milestones and progress is a wonderful feeling,” says Marvin Perry, a medical foster care parent in Florida.

Margie Rolling, another Florida medical foster care parent, adds, “My greatest joy as a medical foster care parent is watching a child learn, figure things out, develop and grow.”

A common misconception about becoming a medical foster care parent is that parents need to have a health care background to care for a child with complex medical needs. While additional training is involved in the journey to become a medical foster care parent, having a medical background is not necessary.

From full-time, at-home parents, to working professionals, empty nesters, or retirees, becoming a medical foster care parent only takes a compassionate individual who has an understanding and flexible work environment. The need is especially strong for parents who will open their homes to teenagers. Teenagers are among the most appreciative of their foster care parents and, depending on their medical needs, can be more independent than babies or small children.

Special support and ongoing training

The Medical Foster Care Program matches foster children between birth to age 21, who also have medical needs, with caregivers who are trained and ready to provide care in a home setting.

Parents receive training and ongoing support to provide a safe, loving home for children with medical needs, including:

• A team of health care providers, including a pediatrician, nurse, and social worker, each coordinating care for the children with medical specialists, hospitals, equipment providers, therapists, health facilities, schools, foster care staff, and families.
• A 24-hour on-call medical support line that is available seven days a week.
• Home and community visits for assessment and support.
• Referrals for needed resources.

Who can become a medical foster care parent?

Medical foster care parents must be 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent and pass a background screening. Medical foster parenting pre-service training, CPR, and first aid training are provided prior to enrollment. Learn more at mfc.FloridaHealth.gov.

Medical foster care parents are champions for the hearts, health, and lives of some of Florida’s most vulnerable children. Learn more today and become a champion for a child in need of medical foster care.