Learn more about the Process or Get Started

Online Professional Parent Application

The Process

Below is an overview of the steps involved in becoming a Professional Parent. Please call or email us at any time for more information or to answer specific questions. We are also willing to meet in person at our office or your home to discuss the program more.

Fill out an application—this can be done online, we can email or mail it to you, or you can stop by.
Schedule a home study—this is an opportunity for us to get to know you and your family, to discuss the program further, and to make sure your home meets minimum requirements (generally this is not difficult).
Start training—there is a series of training that we provide for you. If you have completed training elsewhere we can often accept this. If you are married, your spouse will need to complete a small portion of the training also.
Complete initial requirements and paperwork—see the requirements section below.
Receive your certification—your initial approval.
Continue initial training.
Provide short-term care—if you are interested, provide short term care when needed and you are available as respite or for kids in transition while we look for a match.
Look for match—as we get referrals on kids, we will include you in the families we consider as we seek the best fit we can with each kid amongst the available families.
Discuss and meet kids—when we have a kid we think might match we will discuss them with you. If we decide together to move forward, whenever possible you would meet them before they come to stay with you.
Placement—become the professional parents.
On-going support and consultation—at the time of placement we would identify the services needed with you.
Participate as part of the team.
Continue on-going training and requirements.

The Rewards

As you would expect, professional parenting can be challenging at times for families, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges. The rewards for every family are different, and many of them are not seen until later, but here are some things that people have noted about being a foster parent or caring for a child with special needs:

You can literally change a life forever.
It can give your family a greater appreciation for what they have.
It can develop more empathy and altruism in your children.
It can teach your children sensitivity, compassion and patience.
It can bring your family closer together.
It can increase your family’s sense of pride, accomplishment, competence, and responsibility.
It can increase tolerance, understanding and acceptance.
It can help develop better interpersonal skills with your kids.

Some Basic Requirements

You don’t need to have experience.
You can be single or married.
You can be employed.
You need to be at least 21 years old.
You will need to pass a criminal background check.
We will need to meet with you and your family members to discuss the program and interview and get to know you.
Your home will need to have a review to ensure minimum safety requirements are met (generally this is not difficult).
You will need to have a medical form signed by a healthcare professional indicating that your health is ok to do this.
You will need to have vehicle insurance and be a relatively safe driver.
You will need to complete on-going training requirements.
You may need to participate in some services for the child at times (such as counseling).
You will need to participate in some meetings and stay in contact with us about the child.
Each child will have some goals that you will help work on and keep some documentation on.
You will need to fill out some paperwork.
If a child needs to stay home (like if they are sick from school), a parent will normally need to be there with them (unless other arrangements are ok’d, normally a parent needs to be home when the child is at home). However, for many kids many of the services CTA offers helps cover these scheduling needs (after school program, summer program, etc.)

Get Started

You can change a life. If you are interested, or just want more information, please submit an application here, or contact us at 801-268-4887, toll free at 1-888-268-4887, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .