Foster Care Program

Foster / Resource Parents

Foster/Resource parents provide a safe, caring, and family home for a child ranging in age from birth to 18 who has been temporarily separated from his/her own family for various reasons. The child is in the custody of the Chesapeake Department of Human Services.

Resource parents are Foster parents who meet the criteria to adopt if the foster child in their home was freed for adoption. Chesapeake's Foster/Resource parents are dually certified so that if they wanted to adopt a child they were fostering, the process is easier.

How to Become a Foster / Resource Parent

Chesapeake Human Services appreciates its foster/resource parents and welcomes the opportunity to include more dedicated families in its Foster/Resource parent pool.

  • Talk with a family services specialist in the Foster Care Home Finding Unit. Call 757-382-2249 or 757-382-2246 to schedule an appointment to answer a few questions. (Option for phone or in person)
  • Attend the PRIDE Pre-Service Foster and Resource Parent Training. You will receive a letter with the next training date. Over several weeks, you will complete 27 hours of training. Both parents are required to attend in two-parent homes. During this commitment-free training, about fostering, you will be given the necessary paperwork to become a Foster/Resource parent.
  • After the classes and paperwork, the Home Finding unit will conduct a home study to make sure you meet the requirements to be a foster/resource parent.

Foster Care Home Study Process

During the home study process, the following items will be collected or reviewed:

  • Access to a phone and the ability to be contacted.
  • A physically safe home. A written fire safety evacuation plan
  • An emergency evacuation plan in case of hurricanes or other disasters. 
  • A fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. 
  • Copies of a TB test (tested within the last year) and a physician’s statement that you are healthy and capable of foster parenting. 
  • Up-to-date pet inoculation records.
  • Have no dangerous pets Complete an FBI fingerprint check, CPS, and local background checks DMV records/car insurance/safety inspection sticker/registration 
  • Complete a financial form/copy of pay stub 
  • Marriage certificates and divorce decrees 
  • Personal references (3)

Agency Contact Information 

Felicia N. LaGarde, 757-382-2249, flagarde@cityofchesapeake.net 

Amy M. Christiansen, 757-382-2241, achristiansen@cityofchesapeake.net

Phyllis H. Albergottie, 757-382-2247, palbergottie@cityofchesapeake.net

Danielle L. Jones, 757-382-2306, dljones@cityofchesapeake.net

Download Information Required to Become a Foster Resource Parent (PDF).

Foster Parent Road Map to Certification

What steps do I need to complete to become a certified foster parent?

  1. Call a Resource Family Worker to introduce yourself and express your interest in learning more about foster care: Felicia N. LaGarde, 757-382-2249, Amy M. Christiansen, 757-382-2241, Phyllis H. Albergottie, 757-382-2247, or Danielle L. Jones, 757-382-2306.
  2. An Orientation packet will be mailed to you, along with information on the next scheduled Orientation and Pre-Service (PRIDE) Training.
  3. Complete Orientation and Pre-Service Training. A foster parent application will be given to you during the training.
  4. Turn in the background checks, fingerprints, TB results, and physicals as soon as possible to start the home study. Submit a completed application for certification.
  5. A Resource Family Worker conducts three home visits with you.
  6. The Resource Home Development Team reviews the home study and makes approval decisions.
  7. Certification Process is completed!
  8. Approval notification is mailed to the family.

Download Foster Parent Road Map to Certificate (PDF).