24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support
(877) 882-5122

24/7 Medical Support
(877) 882-5122

Safe Place for Youth
(317) 275-8840

Adult & Child Mental Health & Medical Concerns Support Information
(877) 882-5122

Provide High Community Impact

Thank you for your interest in fostering Central Indiana youth. Your decision to influence your community in this way will positively impact youth who are in need of a safe home, compassionate caregivers, and a new hope for the future during times of transition.

0 k
Safe Nights Tucked in Bed from July 2021-June 2022

Adult & Child Health Improves Lives

Adult and Child Health is a not-for-profit agency which has been supporting the child welfare and health needs of Central Indiana children and families since 1949. We have built a service model that provides the highest level of comprehensive care. We now offer mental health services, primary care, therapeutic foster care, school-based services for students in need, homeless outreach, career services, substance use treatment, and more. We are an Indiana State Certified Community Behavioral Health Center, a Licensed Child Placing Agency, and a Federally Qualified Health Center (look-alike).

Don't Just Take Our Word For It

Hear what our families say about Adult & Child, and their stories along the way.

The most rewarding thing is the happiness you see in the kids’ faces, and just knowing that if they weren’t there, I think about where would they be. It makes me feel good to know it doesn’t matter, they’re here now.
Mendez Family
Foster Family
Becoming a foster parent changed my life forever. I've been so happy to have A&C by my side for all of it.
Angelita
Foster Parent
I’ve been a foster parent for 15 years. Over the last 15 years, I’ve probably taken care of 25 kids. It’s just a thing in me … I love doing it and the kids enjoy me.
Rosemary
Foster Parent

Frequently Asked Questions

We license a wide variety of foster parents because we believe this diversity will provide the best placements for kids. We encourage and support foster parents regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender.

  • Foster parents must be at least 25 years of age.
  • Foster parents must be able to financially support themselves without public assistance.
  • Foster parents may be single, divorced, married/non-married, or partnered couples.
  • All residents of the household, age 18 and older, must pass local, state, and national criminal background checks. All household members must have clear Child Protective Services checks.
  • Foster parents must have reliable, insured transportation and have a valid driver’s license.
  • The foster home must have sufficient bedroom space.
  • Foster parents must successfully complete Foster Parent Training.

Therapeutic Foster Care, also known as “Treatment” foster care, is a level of foster care that provides care, nurturing, and services to children believed to have significant emotional and behavioral needs. Caregivers who foster through a Therapeutic Foster Care program receive a wide range of support.

There are many reasons more families are needed. It is common for our current families to reach the state’s allowable “maximum” capacity, and not be able to take additional children. In addition, the more families available, the greater the likelihood we can place siblings together. And, the more diverse our foster family base is, the better we can match a child’s needs to a family. The more families we have dispersed throughout our services areas, the more likely we can place children in or near their own communities and avoid disrupting positive familiar connections for the child, like schools, peers, and positive role models.

 

Foster parents provide a safe, nurturing, and usually temporary home for children who have been removed from their home due to abuse or neglect. Foster parents care for children, with a goal to help them safely reunify with their families.

 

The licensing process typically takes 2-3 months. It is driven by the emerging foster parent’s engagement in the process.

Our goal is to match your home to the child whose needs and profile are the best fit. We use a specialized matching process when placing foster children. Recognizing that every child is unique, and has unique needs, we work to match the child with staff and families who are best prepared to meet those needs.

 

Foster and Agency News

The BCA’s Year in Review

The year of 2023 was full of progress for the Black Cultural Awareness (BCA) Taskforce. In late 2022, the BCA restructured to welcome ally members

Read More »

We'd Love To Talk With You

Sarah Miller, PMHNP-BC

Sarah Miller works with the addictions team, general psychiatry for adolescents and adults, and the competency restoration team. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties are working in addictions and with people who experience serious mental illness.

Miller graduated from Indiana University with a psychology degree and went back to school for nursing. She received her nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and worked in a nursing home and also spent time working in a group home with adolescents. She received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

She enjoys hanging out with her family and her two dogs, and going to sporting events.

Joanna Chambers, MD

Dr. Joanna Chambers is a psychiatrist who began seeing Adult & Child Health patients in November 2021. She graduated from Medical College of Georgia with her Doctorate of Medicine in 1996 and completed her residency in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to bringing a wealth of experience, she currently serves as an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine where she teaches Clinical Psychiatry. She is certified in Addiction Medicine and has a special interest in treating pregnant and postpartum women. She is President of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry Organization as well as a sitting member of many medical association boards. Recently, she has won the Residents’ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 from Indiana University and has received “Best Doctors Award” in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Dr. Chambers is incredibly active in the medical, academic, and research realms of medicine. She is currently accepting new patients on Wednesdays.