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Specialized Foster Care Caring for Children with Special Needs in the U.S Foster care System.

Specialized Foster Care Caring for Children with Special Needs in the U.S Foster care System. Viviane Ngwa Licensed Clinical Social Worker Academy of Certified Social Workers. Foster Care Classifications/Types of Out-of-Home Care. Classification Based on the level of Child’s Need .

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Specialized Foster Care Caring for Children with Special Needs in the U.S Foster care System.

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  1. Specialized Foster CareCaring for Children with Special Needs in the U.S Foster care System. Viviane Ngwa Licensed Clinical Social Worker Academy of Certified Social Workers

  2. Foster Care Classifications/Types of Out-of-Home Care • Classification Based on the level of Child’s Need. • - Traditional Foster Care • - Specialized Foster Care • - Treatment or Therapeutic Foster Care • Classification based on placement • - Emergency care • - Specialty Care • - Kinship Care / Home of Relative Placement • -Residential/group care • -Shared family care • -Independent living Services.

  3. Definitions of Foster Care. • Foster care is meant to provide nurturing, safe and custodial care for children in substitute family settings. • Treatment foster care; Placement of children with specially trained foster parents who provide a clinically effective, structured environment in a cost saving manner that addresses the serious emotional, medical and behavioral needs of the child. • The terms Treatment and Therapeutic foster care are used interchangeably. • Specialized foster care is used to refer to all non-traditional foster care.

  4. Qualifications for Specialized Foster Care • Assessment of Child’s need. • Screening, selection and training of Resource Families - foster parents/potential adoptive parents. • Foster parent trainings (pre-service and on-going training). • Points of Assessment (at intake, child and family Team meetings) • Foster home licensure process. • Specialized foster care as a cost effective alternative to group care. • Specialty trainings. • The foster home/ family as a healing milieu for the child. • Limitation on the number of children per placement. • Monitoring of placement: Home visit system • Caseworker credential, qualification and certification.

  5. Why become a resource family/foster parent? • Wanting to give back. • Empty nest syndrome. • Religious reasons /church based recruitment. • Popularization of foster care. • Reimbursement v. income. • Word of mouth recruitment methods. • The role of the recruiter as a community educator / “sales agent”.

  6. Service Provision • Caseworker caseload ratio • Caseworker to supervisor ratio • Timeline in service provision • Reduction in the length of stay • Outcome measures (Safety, Well-being, educational outcomes, placement stability/disruption, Permanency). • Documentation – service notes/case notes expectations. • Billing for Medical/clinical services: Medically necessary services. • Provision of services to biological families.

  7. Types of Specialized Foster Care • Medically fragile Children: HIV/AIDs complications; Technology dependent children; severe medical conditions; in-utero exposure to severe drug abuse. • Emotional disturbed and behavior disordered children: Severe attachment related disorders; conduct disorders; schizo-affective disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder. • Sibling group care: Keeping siblings together; the house parent model. • Transitional living / Independent living Programs: For teenagers; preparation for adulthood.

  8. Array of supportive Services • Education services • Early Childhood and child Care services • Health services • Respite Care services • Employment and training services • Independent living skills training services • Specialty services – Wrap around services, therapy/counseling, mentoring. • National Parent Helpline – emotional support to parent.

  9. Oversight and monitoring • Data driven management systems. • AFCARS: The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS): collects state level information. • CFSRs: Child and Family Service Reviews. Determines what actually happens to families engaged in the child welfare system. • SACWIS: State automated child welfare information system. Real time input of notes and other client related data. • Waiver Demonstration Projects.

  10. The Role of Provider associations like FFTA • FFTA: Foster Family-Based Treatment Association • Made up of more 400 member agencies. • Drafting service delivery guidelines • Public policy advocacy at federal and national levels. • Publication of treatment/specialized foster care related news. • Advocate for the standardization of definition and expectations. • Development of in-state public policy connection system.

  11. Q & A • Why should we advocate for specialized foster care? • What is the value of collaboration amongst providers? • THANK YOU

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