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PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT FOSTER PARENT

Overview of the TFCO Program

Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO), is a clinical intervention program which includes placement for youth especially teens age 12-17 with mental, emotional, or behavioral health needs in specifically trained foster parent homes. TFCO will utilize evidence-based practices focused on treating serious and chronic juvenile offenders (adolescents ages 12-17) and their foster care/kinship families to better meet the challenges that exist in their current environment. TFCO helps children and teens especially those with a history of challenging behaviors to successfully transition to a permanent home within 6 to 9 months. The program strives to produce more positive outcomes to help children and teens particularly those at risk of exiting foster care without families to help them succeed.

There are five main objectives of the TFCO program. For every youth in the program the aim is to:

-Provide youth with close supervision.

-Provide youth with fair and consistent limits and consequences.

-Provide a supportive relationship with at least one mentoring adult.

-Minimize association with peers who may be a bad influence.

-Increase youth’s relationships and work skills.

There are some features of the TFCO program that set it apart from most other foster care programs. They are:

-TFCO places one youth (occasionally, two) with a family at a time.

-TFCO uses a team approach to treatment, with the foster parents as part of the team along with program staff.

-Foster parents in the TFCO program implement an individualized, structured program for each youth under the guidance of a Team Leader.

-Foster parents receive an enhanced level of support from program staff. Crisis intervention is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

-Foster parents meet weekly with other foster parents and the Team Leader to support and learn from each other.

Responsibilities

To the Child:

• Provide a safe and comfortable home for the child to live in with a separate bed and place for his/her belongings.
• Provide for the child’s basic physical and emotional needs as if the child were a biological child.
• Provide appropriate clothing.
• Attend to medical, dental, and mental health needs.
• Help the child maintain a realistic relationship with his/her family and assist the child in preparing to return home.

To the Children’s Home Society TFCO Team:

• Be available to partake in weekly foster parent meetings in person
• Able to fill out DAILY point sheet and send in to team weekly
• Partake in daily Parent Report Calls
• Follow to TFCO program as directed by the TFCO Staff
• Provide transportation for child to clinical meetings, family visits, school (if needed) and any other appointments the child has
• Inform of problems and progress of the child, including immediate notification if the child runs away or has been injured.
• Keep the agency informed of changes in your home including change in address and phone numbers, deaths or departures of immediate family members, additional to family, notification before vacations, leaving the state for any reason, etc.
• Be available for meetings with social workers working with the child.
• Participate in treatment plans.
• Cooperate with CHS to implement plan for family reunification or permanent placement.
• Keep confidential any information regarding the foster child and the child’s family that is given by the social worker, biological parent or foster child, unless the child would be in immediate harm.
• Comply with state regulations and internal rules and policies of the licensing agency.

To the Biological Family:

• Cooperate with the visitation plan, the end goal of TFCO is reunification with a biological family member
• Help the child maintain an emotional bond and involvement with his/her biological parents and extended family members.
• When requested by the worker, model and discuss appropriate parenting behavior with the parent.
• Provide necessary and appropriate information about the child’s behavior to the team.
• Help prepare the family for the child’s return to the biological home.
• Aid in facilitating parental involvement in treatment.

To Treatment Foster Parents’ Own Family:

• Discuss openly with all members of the family the decision to provide specialized treatment foster care and all members’ participation in a decision to accept a particular child.
• Make every effort to maintain usual lifestyle and relationships while providing treatment foster care, including private time with own family members.
• Help all members understand the impact taking a child into the family may have on the family routine, etc.
• Prepare all members for the arrival of children, including discussion of the child’s special needs.

Basic Qualifications

Must be licensed as a foster care provider through Our Kids of Miami/ Dade-Monroe. You must be 21 years or older, be financially self-supporting, and meet the qualification necessary for working with children. These basic requirements also include background checks, the ability to work with many community partners (including the birth family) and continuing training to enhance skills as a Foster Parent. (More information at fosteringourkids.org/how-foster-care-works/)

-Must have reliable transportation.

-Have at least ONE reliable back-up caregiver for the foster child

-Computer skills preferable.

-Have a flexible schedule to accommodate mandatory weekly in-person meetings.

-Be comfortable with having teens in your home.

Training

The licensing process requires a minimum of 21 hours of Training, (currently PRIDE Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education training) and a Home Study Assessment. There is also an additional 12 hours of training for Treatment Foster Care Families initially and continuing education requirements.

For more information or to submit an application please contact:

Keeley McBee

Children’s Home Society TFCO Program

keeley.mcbee@chsfl.org

C: 305-898-3161