Empowering Families. Tailored Support. Stronger Futures.
Wraparound
Wraparound Services at Spero Family Services offer a holistic, family-centered approach to supporting children and youth with serious mental health or behavioral challenges. Unlike traditional service models, Wraparound places the child and family at the center, empowering them to lead the planning and decision-making process.
With guidance from a trained Wraparound facilitator, families build a personalized support team that may include professionals, service providers, friends, mentors, and other trusted individuals. Together, they develop a flexible, strengths-based plan tailored to the family’s unique needs, goals, and vision for the future.
Serving over 35 counties across Illinois, this intensive, step-by-step process brings together people from all areas of a family’s life and is designed to help families stay together and thrive. No two plans are alike—each is created by the family it serves.
At Spero, everything we do is grounded in the CARE model developed by Cornell University—a research-based framework that guides our approach to working with youth and caregivers alike. This model is deeply embedded in our training, support systems, and overall philosophy.
Spero offers specialized training and continuous support to the teams involved in Wraparound Services, ensuring families are well-equipped to achieve their goals and care for their children effectively.
Wraparound is Guided by these Principle
Youth ages Birth-21 may be referred to Specialized Foster Care programs when the they are in need of a higher level of support in their emotional, behavioral, social, or medical care.
Family Driven
Team-Based
Natural Supports
Collaboration
Community-Based
Culturally Competent
Individualized
Strengths-Based
Persistence
Outcome Based
Counties We Serve
Specialized Foster Care provides an enhanced level of support for children entering care with emotional, behavioral, social, or medical needs. Each child’s specific needs and background are carefully assessed to ensure they are matched with a foster family capable of providing the right support. In collaboration with the foster family, Spero Family Services develops an individualized plan designed to support the child’s well-being and development.
Spero offers specialized training and continuous support to foster families, ensuring they are well-prepared to care for the children in their homes. In addition to a one-time, in-depth specialized training program, Spero provides monthly support training covering a range of topics. These are designed to strengthen caregivers’ skills and knowledge in areas such as mental health, trauma-informed care, and best practices for supporting the youth in their care.
In the State of Illinois, becoming a foster parent requires a foster care license issued by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). At Spero Family Services, we guide you through every step of this process to ensure you’re fully prepared to open your heart and home to a child in need.
On average, the licensing process takes 3–6 months and includes the following steps:
Orientation Meeting
You’ll attend an orientation to learn more about Spero Family Services, the needs of children in care, and the overall foster care licensing process. Orientation also covers the rights and responsibilities of foster parents and helps you determine if fostering is the right path for you.Application for Licensure
You’ll complete and submit a formal application, providing personal and household information for review.Criminal Background Check
All adults in your household must undergo a fingerprint-based criminal background check to ensure the safety and well-being of the children placed in your care.Pre-Service Training
Spero provides required foster parent training, typically ranging from 9 to 30 hours. These sessions prepare you for the realities of foster care, including trauma-informed care and child development, all rooted in the CARE model we use across our organization.Home Study & Interviews
A licensing specialist will visit your home to conduct interviews and assess its safety and suitability. A foster home must:Be clean, well-ventilated, and free from fire hazards
Have safe drinking water and protections from common household injuries
Offer a designated space for a child
Have a working telephone or access to one in case of emergencies
At Spero, we’re with you every step of the way—from initial interest to full licensure and beyond—offering continued support and training as part of our commitment to high-quality, CARE-informed foster care.
How do I become a foster parent?
Contact our Licensing and Outreach Specialist, Shea Campanella to get started!
What is foster care?
Foster care is a temporary safe haven for children who are at serious risk of harm. When possible, the Department of Children and Family Services and other agencies work with families to reunite them. When that simply is not possible, DCFS works to find children a permanent, loving home through adoption or guardianship.
How will a child be matched with my family?
You can express a preference on the age, race, and sex of the child that you think would best match your family circumstances, skills, and priorities. Agencies do their best to find placements for children that are a good fit for both the child and the foster family. However, it is important to be willing to get to know a child as an individual and to keep an open mind about the parenting you can do.
What challenges do children in foster care need help overcoming?
It’s important to remember that all children who have experienced the trauma of being separated from their family and placed in foster care will require love and support from their foster parents. It’s common for children in this situation to feel frightened, irritable, confused, or angry, and they may even see their new foster home as a form of punishment. However, foster caregivers will have access to services and training that can help children adjust to their new homes and learn to thrive.
What kind of support will we receive?
Financial Assistance
Foster parents in “regular” foster care programs receive a monthly check to cover the child’s food, clothing, and personal allowance. The amount of the check is based on the child’s age.
Medical Care
Each foster child gets a medical card from the state which guarantees payment for all necessary medical care and preventive medicine. You will be given a number to call to get help in selecting a physician for a child placed with you. The medical card is also accepted by many hospitals and for approved prescriptions. You should not pay any medical bills directly.
Education Services
Foster children go to regular public schools unless they need special education, for which the state can pay. Private or parochial school tuition cannot be paid by the State. Foster children may attend private or parochial schools, but only if the tuition is paid by some other source.
Foster Parent Support
Your supervising child welfare agency and your child’s caseworker are responsible for supporting your family on a daily basis. Each agency, including DCFS, has developed internal support, which includes foster parent support groups, newsletters, after-hours telephone numbers, and community resources.
Support from DCFS
The Department of Children and Family Services provides overall support to licensed private child welfare agencies with foster care programs while maintaining its own foster care program. DCFS also directly provides universal foster care information and impartial advocacy for all foster families statewide.
24-hour On-Call Support
A Spero Family Services Foster Care staff member is always available to chat with you anytime you may need them.
How long does the licensing and training process take?
The licensing and training process takes from four to six months. After that process and your training are completed, you will be ready to accept children into your home. However, the actual timing depends on the specific children who come into care, their needs, and the appropriate fit with your home.
Can we take a child in foster care on vacation with us?
In most cases, yes. It is important to wrap children in the full family experience. But if it involves out-of-state travel, you must call your child’s caseworker in advance for approval.
Do children in foster care get to see their birth parents?
Yes, in most cases visits between birth parents and children are encouraged. When a child gets the opportunity to see their birth parents, it is a chance for them to work through the emotional trauma from the separation and it is an important step in the reunification process. However, there are situations where it may not be in the best interest of the child to maintain a relationship with their biological parents.
Can I adopt a child through foster care?
The primary goal is to reunite children in foster care with their biological families. If reunification is not possible for a foster child in your care, you may discuss adoption with your caseworker. You will need to meet all the standard requirements for becoming an adoptive parent. For more information on adoption, please call the Adoption Information Center of Illinois at 1-800-572-2390.
How will I feel after the child is reunited with their family?
It is natural to experience grief after the child has been reunited with their family. However, it is also incredibly rewarding knowing that you played an essential role in the healing of that family. Every child needs a support system and foster parents can still be a part of that even after the child is no longer living with them. Many foster parents maintain a relationship with their foster children even into adulthood.
Being a specialized foster parent isn’t always easy, but with Spero, we never feel alone. The support is constant—whether it’s late-night calls, training, or just someone to talk to. They walk with us every step of the way, and that makes all the difference.
