What is foster care?
The dictionary offers the following definition
of "foster:"
"To help to grow or develop; stimulate; promote, and to afford, receive,
or share nourishment, or sustenance, although not related by blood." A
foster parent is "one who performs the duties of a parent to
the child of another."
In many ways a foster parent resembles any other parent who works to understand and love a child. Foster parenting is not a lifetime commitment to a child, but a commitment to make a meaningful difference during a child's lifetime.
What
is therapeutic foster care?
NECCO sees it as:
a time to help children relearn good habits
in a nurturing but structured environment.
What
makes a good foster parent?
Foster parent(s) should be good problem solvers who are committed to children, realistic in their expectations, and flexible in their approach to children.
Each foster family needs to be committed to any child placed in their home. They should have realistic expectations for the children in their care and be accepting of a child's potential and any limitations they may have. They need to be flexible and demonstrate problem-solving skills to address family and child-rearing issues. Finally, foster parents should include children in family activities to help make the child feel like a part of a family.
The best advice for being a good foster parent is to talk with the child and do things with them. Many foster children have not had the opportunity to have an adult really listen to them or to talk about problems with an adult. Often, parents confuse listening and talking with agreeing to poor behavior. Parents can disagree with poor behavior (and hold children accountable for the poor behavior).
Plan family events that include everyone. Play games together, watch television together, talk together, and make each child feel as though they are a member of your family.
What should
you expect from NECCO?
As an agency, we try to provide the best possible quality of life for foster children and the best possible support services to the foster parent(s) responsible for their care.
In addition to the emotional rewards of helping a child in need, foster parent(s) receive bi-monthly reimbursement, specialized training, respite opportunities and various supportive services.
What are the responsibilities of NECCO
foster parents?
First and foremost, we ask that each parent actively participate in the lives of the children placed in their homes.
Responsibilities:
- Incorporate the principles of Nicholas Hobbs
- Provide all of the daily living needs including nutrition, clothing, shelter and physical care
- Focus on the safety and health of the child as identified in the Special Health Precautions policy
- Nurture and accept the child as part of the family
- Provide supervision for the child
- Provide routine transportation for children - meeting the guidelines
set forth in the NECCO Transportation Protocol
- Provide a vehicle safety inspection statement (included on sign off sheet
that parent signs for foster parent handbook agreement)
- Provide structured daily routines and introduce skills for independent living
- Maintain the child's confidentiality and rights as named in The Youth Rights and Responsibilities Policy
- Assist the child with understanding the youth's rights and responsibilities
if they have questions
- Establish household rules for the child
- Comply with NECCO policy and procedure as it pertains to foster parents
- Comply with state and federal regulations concerning foster parenting
- Provide opportunities for religious observance in the faith of his/her
choice
- Make every effort to meet the cultural needs of the child placed in your
home. Plan at least one diverse cultural experience per month for you. Examples
of these include attending festivals, restaurants, movies or museums. Make
the events something that can be fun the entire family where everyone has
an opportunity to learn something about another culture and/or to deepen
the child's understanding of his/her own culture. Remember, a youth's cultural
needs are NOT the same as cultural diversity--even though they need that too.
- Use common sense
- Understand the grievance procedure for youth and ensure that the child
has access to the information if needed
- Ensure the child's confidentiality while in your home
- Make sure you and the child placed in your home understand NECCO's smoking
policy
- Keep accurate records in your Home File for you and the child to access as needed
- Be familiar with the Continuous Quality Improvement process by participating
in foster parent surveys, focus groups or other methods to gain information
to improve the quality of services
What are the initial training requirements of a therapeutic foster parent?
- Orientation
- CPR & First Aid
- Safe Crisis Management
- Cultural Diversity
- The core-training curriculum as dictated by state requirements
These requirements are set by the state. If you have any questions
regarding foster parent training, please contact the Home Resource
Coordinator in your local NECCO office.
How many hours of training does a foster parent have
to complete every year?
Each foster parent is required to receive initial and on-going training every
year. The year is measured by each foster parent's initial certification date.
Exact number of training hours differ depending on licensure/accreditation and
state requirements.
Each year foster parent(s) are required by law to provide NECCO with:
- Valid driver's license(s)
- Current home or renter's insurance and auto insurance
- Animal inoculation for each pet
- TB tests
- Medical exams on all family members (annually for all family members)
- A background fingerprint check (State)
- An abuse check
- Nurses aid check
- An FBI check (if you live in a bordering county to another state, or if you have lived in another state at anytime during the year)
The certification and recertification requirements are subject to
change according to state or federal regulations, accreditation regulations
or agency regulations. Foster homes are inspected at the time of
certification and recertification. In order to continue to foster
the home must pass the safety inspection at the time of recertification.
As part of the recertification process foster parents are asked to
complete a recertification questionnaire and participate in joint
and individual interviews.
What services will I receive from NECCO once a
foster child is placed in my home?
NECCO provides in-home case management, a 24-hour on-call crisis pager,
assistance with obtaining individual services for children such as therapy,
respite care, regular training opportunities, and support to foster families
as needed.
Should you decide to adopt, NECCO can assist you with the paperwork and on-going
supervision of the child. See your Case Manager.
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