There is new help available for Arizonans thinking about becoming foster parents. 

The Department of Economic Security is teaming up with Magellan of Arizona to create what is being called the Foster Care Toolkit. The object is to explain what it means and what is required to be a foster parent. 

Shawn Thiele of Magellan said the toolkit contains information on community resources that may be needed by foster parents.

 "That would include things like food, medical, support groups or education groups and training," Thiele said.        

She said the toolkit explains the benefits of behavioral health services for foster kids.

"There’s a lot of trauma associated with the potential reason for why a child has to be removed and brought into the foster care system, but there’s also just trauma associated from the experience of being taken from the home that they know," said Thiele.

The toolkits are available from through both the Magellan and DES Websites. They are also at DES offices around the state.