Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan provides loving and supportive foster care and adoption services to children and families in need. 

Our dedicated team of professionals is committed to matching children with nurturing foster homes and providing adoptive families with the resources and guidance they need to create lasting, loving connections. Together, we can make a difference in children longing for a stable and loving home.

Are you considering providing foster care or adopting a child, teen, or sibling? 

Are you willing to give of yourself to someone waiting to join a loving family? 

There are many children in Michigan from newborn to age 18 who need a caring, supportive, and long-term family situation or to be adopted into a loving family. St. Joseph answered this call, and we invite you to consider becoming a foster or adoptive parent.

At Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM), we provide help and hope to children awaiting the welcome and support of a foster or adoptive family. We also offer extensive services to those providing foster care or going through adoption. In 2021, CCSEM provided foster care or adoption to almost 100 children from infants to 17 years of age. Many more await our help. Together, we can make a difference.

An Extension of Love and Support

Many government agencies are involved in foster care and adoption. CCSEM assists those who want to open their hearts and homes to children in need. In adoptions, the adoptive parents need support throughout the process. We answer the call. CCSEM identifies stable, nurturing foster homes for children and teens and provides resources, training, and support to foster families. While the goal in foster care is to reunite children with their birth families when possible, many foster families transition to adoption. According to the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange, 93 percent of children in Michigan’s foster care system are adopted by the child’s foster family or a relative (someone with whom the child has an established relationship).

Serving the Child and Family

CCSEM provides a full spectrum of adoption and foster care services to assist birth families, foster children and their foster families, and prospective adoptive families to successfully navigate the legal and governmental agency process as well as providing support through the emotional journey. Our services include:

• Foster care, licensing, intake, and adoption
• In-home studies for prospective adoptive or foster care parents
• Adoption searches
• Informational classes
• Supervised independent living for youth who have aged out of foster care
• Independent living

Fostering Hope in Foster Care

Would you like to provide a child with love and stability during a time of uncertainty? Temporarily welcoming a child into your home is a generous gift.

The need for more foster parents is great and the benefits are immeasurable. As a foster parent through CCSEM, you will receive:

• State funding to offset the cost of foster care
• Consultative support and instruction from our trained team
• Gratification in giving of yourself to a child in need
• Pride in providing stability, safety, and support to a child in a challenging familial situation
• Satisfaction in seeing the outcome of your work and dedication to changing a child’s life

We strive to ensure children experience as few foster care placements as possible since every move is complex and presents its own set of challenges to a child. The goal in foster care is to return the child to their biological home or family circle; therefore, a foster parent's role is vital to the well-being of children in need.

Building a Bridge: Supervised Independent Living and Independent Living

Many children age out of foster care, and CCSEM is there to help them bridge to adulthood through our Supervised Independent Living and Independent Living programs. These initiatives match families with teens and young adults no longer in foster care so near-adults or young adults can learn essential life skills in a supervised and supportive environment.

The family provides a home and assists in transportation and other living support, helping the youth or young adult grow skills in independent living. This compassionate service assists teens in maintaining jobs, attending college, and building fundamental life skills, bridging the gap to self-sufficient living. Many participants graduate from high school through this program and enroll in college.

To learn more, contact us today. The sooner you connect with one of our caring counselors, the sooner you can begin to change the life of a child in need – and yours!