Treatment FAQ

what is the difference between a treatment and a traditional foster home

by Carleton Hodkiewicz Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Traditional vs. Treatment Foster Care program Both traditional and TFC within the child welfare system require training and support for the foster parents involved. Traditional foster care homes don't have specialists checking in weekly.

Both types of foster care involve post-licensing training. Traditional foster care requires nine hours. However, in therapeutic foster care, the need for ongoing support and guidance intensifies. These parents can expect to perform 28 hours of post-licensing training.

Full Answer

How is therapeutic foster care different from traditional foster care?

Therapeutic foster care requires more out of a foster family than traditional care. Because of this, the rate of reimbursement may be higher (please note this may vary from state to state). In some programs, one parent (if it’s a two-parent home) can stay at home full time to better meet the needs of the children.

What are the different types of foster care?

When people think of foster care, they often think of the traditional family environment where a single foster family of two foster parents cares for one or more foster children in their own home. Besides this traditional notion of foster homes, there are also other types of foster care, such as group homes and kinship care.

What do you need to know about foster care?

Six things you should know. When a child enters the foster care system in the United States, often the child’s functional, emotional, and behavioral needs are not fully known at initial placement.

What is the difference between child welfare and foster care?

The child welfare agency has legal custody of the children and works in partnership with the family to make legal decisions about the children. While foster care is sometimes necessary to keep a child safe, removing a child from his or her home can be a traumatic experience in itself because it involves separation.

image

What is treatment foster care in Texas?

Treatment foster care (TFC; or professional foster care) is a type of out-of-home placement provided by foster parents who receive specialized training to care for children and with intensive emotional or behavioral needs.

What is the difference between foster homes and orphanages?

Foster care operates by taking in children from their homes due to the lack of care or abuse of their parents, where orphanages take in children with no parents or children whose parents have dropped them off for a better life, typically due to income.

What is Treatment Foster Care New Mexico?

Our Treatment Foster Care (TFC) program caters to the physical, emotional, and social needs of children and youth in a supportive family setting. Treatment Foster Care is utilized until the natural family can be reunited or a permanent placement through adoption can be arranged.

What is therapeutic foster care NC?

Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) is a proven mental health service provided to a child in a family setting by specially-trained foster parents. Children receiving this service typically have manageable behaviors with moderate behavioral and emotional needs.

What is the difference between foster care and adoption?

The primary difference between fostering and adoption is that fostering is usually temporary while adoption is typically a more permanent, long-term solution.

How long does a foster child stay with you?

Short term: This ranges from a few weeks to a few months and sometimes can be up to two years. An emergency placement may even turn into a short term placement. This type of care is used as a temporary solution while a care plan is worked on for the child.

How much do foster parents make in New Mexico?

New Mexico Foster CareService Level of CareAmount per dayBasic0-5 yrs. $627.30.; 6-12 yrs. $661.80.; 13 or older $688.50 (30-Day Monthly Rate)Moderateno information providedSpecialized0-5 Years $812.70; 6-12 Years $846.30; 13 or Older $872.40 (30-Day Monthly Rate)1 more row

How much does it cost to adopt in New Mexico?

The costs to adopt a stepchild in New Mexico average between $350 to $2,000 for an uncontested adoption depending on whether the family processes the required court documents themselves or hires an attorney.

How old do you have to be to foster in New Mexico?

Are at least 18 years old. Have adequate space for an adopted child or children. Are healthy. Provide other documents that may be required.

How much do therapeutic foster parents get paid in NC?

Age 0-5: $514/month. Age 6-12: $654/month. Age 13+: $698/month.

How much do foster parents get paid per child in North Carolina?

Here's a look at the rates set by the Legislature in North Carolina, according to the Department of Health and Human Services: $475.00 per child, per month for children from birth through five years of age. $581.00 per child, per month for children six through 12 years of age.

What is therapeutic fostering?

Therapeutic fostering is a specialist type of foster care that helps support children and young people who may have dealt with trauma, abuse or any other kind of severe disruption prior to being placed into foster care.

What Is Foster Care?

Foster care is part of the child welfare system that is a temporary living situation for children and adolescents as their family of origin is not able to provide a safe and secure environment.

Treatment Foster Care (TFC)

Treatment Foster care requires helping children with trauma issues. TFC helps them acclimate to new living situations. Children in foster care experience a grieving process, missing their family, friends, churches, and sometimes changing schools.

Traditional vs. Treatment Foster Care program

Both traditional and TFC within the child welfare system require training and support for the foster parents involved. Traditional foster care homes don't have specialists checking in weekly. TFC has case management services, and the case manager checks in weekly at foster homes to make sure the child and family members receive the support needed.

Training Involved in Foster Care

Each agency that licenses Treatment foster care homes has a standard number of hours that a family needs to attend to be certified. Also, the majority of TFC agencies provided monthly ongoing training.

Treatment Foster Care Staff Members

There are different staff members involved in Treatment foster care that parents may work with. The personnel help train and extend support to foster care homes. Their priority is the children having a welcoming, nurturing environment in their home.

Benefits of Treatment Foster Care

Now that the fundamental differences between traditional and treatment foster care have been established, it's essential to know the benefits of the extra challenge of TFC.

Requirements in Becoming a Treatment Foster Parent

There are a few requirements to be aware of before becoming a therapeutic foster parent. These requirements include the following.

What is traditional foster care?

On the other hand, traditional foster care (also referred to as standard or regular foster care) involves caring for children who are taken from their parents due to abuse or neglect, but their needs don’t require the same level of intensive support and services required in therapeutic foster care.

What is therapeutic foster care?

In a nutshell, therapeutic foster care (sometimes referred to as treatment foster care) involves caring for children or adolescents with emotional, behavioral, social, or medical issues— who would benefit from being in a family who have received specialized training. Many of these children have experienced extraordinary loss or trauma;

How many children can you have in a therapeutic foster home?

As such, it can be a cost-effective alternative to other more restrictive options. Know to that therapeutic foster care homes are typically limited to one or two children, though exceptions may be made for sibling groups or other special circumstances. In the majority of cases, children in therapeutic foster care are in the care of a private agency.

What are the primary recruitment issues in foster care?

In terms of therapeutic foster care parents, primary recruitment issues include a lack of parents willing to work with older children (most therapeutic foster care children are adolescents), and low reimbursement rates (considering the intensive needs of the children in question).

What is traditional foster care?

Traditional foster care. Individuals who meet the requirements and complete the training to become a foster parent can care for any child, teen or sibling group in state custody for an undetermined amount of time. Foster parents provide care and support for children until a permanent plan is implemented. They should be committed to working in ...

What is specialized foster care?

Specialized, therapeutic , or medical foster care. Many children who enter foster care have experienced traumatic stress such as abuse, neglect or other family challenges. Some also have significant medical conditions or intellectual and developmental delays.

What is formal kinship care?

Formal kinship care: a judge places children in the legal custody of the State and a child welfare agency places the children with relatives or a foster family. The child welfare agency has legal custody of the children and works in partnership with the family to make legal decisions about the children.

What is respite care?

Respite care. Just like any parent, foster parents need time to rest and recharge from providing ongoing daily care to a child. Respite caregivers provide short-term care, typically evening or weekend care, for a child currently living with another foster family.

What is a foster parent?

Foster parents provide care and support for children until a permanent plan is implemented. They should be committed to working in partnership with birth family members and child welfare professionals, as well as completing ongoing training requirements.

Why is it important to remove a child from foster care?

Non-related kin (NRKIN) While foster care is sometimes necessary to keep a child safe, removing a child from his or her home can be a traumatic experience in itself because it involves separation. Placing the child with a familiar caregiver helps ease this transition.

When is it necessary to remove a child from the home?

When it becomes necessary to remove a child from the home for their safety, child welfare professionals work to find the best possible placement for that child until they can safely return home or a permanency plan is identified. Different types of foster care exist to meet the unique needs of each child and family.

What is therapeutic foster care?

Here are a few things to know about therapeutic foster care: 1) Therapeutic foster families are specially trained to care for children with high needs. They are often asked to complete more pre-service training hours than required for a more traditional foster home. They may also be asked to complete a substantial amount ...

Why is the number of children allowed in a foster home lower than in a traditional foster home?

Due to the special needs of children in therapeutic foster care , the number of children allowed in a foster home may be set lower than is allowed in a traditional foster home. This is intentionally done for the family to be able to better meet the individual needs of the children in their home.

What is the power of knowledge in foster care?

Knowledge is power, and the more a foster family knows , the better equipped the foster parents are at being able to provide intentional nurturing, discipline, and care to children. 3) Some of the children in therapeutic foster care have had multiple disruptions and placement moves.

What does it take to be a foster parent?

It takes a tremendous amount of patience, resilience, creativity, resourcefulness, humor, and love. When these things are poured into a young life, healing begins.

Can a parent stay at home full time?

In some programs, one parent (if it’s a two-parent home) can stay at home full time to better meet the needs of the children. 5) Agencies may limit the number of children allowed in a therapeutic foster home. Due to the special needs of children in therapeutic foster care, the number of children allowed in a foster home may be set lower ...

Is therapeutic foster care higher than traditional foster care?

4) The reimbursement rate is sometimes higher than traditional foster care. Therapeutic foster care requires more out of a foster family than traditional care. Because of this, the rate of reimbursement may be higher (please note this may vary from state to state). In some programs, one parent ...

What is therapeutic foster care?

The primary goal of therapeutic foster care is to transition the child to their biological/ permanent family members or to a traditional foster home and/or long-term placement. However there are occasions when parents from the program at Alexander Youth Network have been able to adopt the child they are providing care for.

How old do you have to be to be a foster parent?

We encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to apply to be a foster parent. To align with state requirements for licensure parents must: Be at least 21 years old. Have available space in their home. Have less three children already living in the home. Complete necessary screenings and training.

Does Alexander Children's Foundation give a stipend?

Parents receive a monthly stipend for each month that a child is in placement in their home. Additionally, the Alexander Children’s Foundation offers financial assistance for programs and costs that would aid in a child’s healing but may be a financial constraint for parents.

Do foster parents have trauma?

Foster Care/ Specialized Foster Care –. Youth may have experienced trauma.

What is foster care?

When people think of foster care, they often think of the traditional family environment where a single foster family of two foster parents cares for one or more foster children in their own home. Besides this traditional notion of foster homes, there are also other types of foster care, such as group homes and kinship care. Both are common placements for foster children. Group homes and kinship care are compared and contrasted below.

What is kinship care?

Kinship care is the full-time care of foster children by relatives, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a similar bond with a child. The expansion of kinship foster care is, perhaps, the most dramatic shift to occur in child welfare practice over the past two decades. Thank you for subscribing!

Why are group homes problematic?

Group homes were initially problematic in the foster care system due to a shortage of experienced operators and a lack of industry regulation. Many group homes were run by competent social workers or those in religious communities who, despite a lack of formal training, were instrumental in positively impacting the children in their care.

Why do children have to be separated from their parents?

The court may rule that the child must be separated from his or her parents because of abuse, neglect, dependency, abandonment, or special medical circumstances. The child is placed in the legal custody of the child welfare agency, and the relatives provide full-time care. The home environment itself would be the same as a traditional (stranger) ...

Can group homes cut back on food?

With little monitoring by the government, it was possible for group homes to cut back on food, clothing, education and program to make a profit for the operators. Group homes (like kinship care arrangements) are now subject to a number of federal regulations. However, that doesn’t stop some group homes from continuing to abuse children.

What does it mean when a case is transferred from kinship care to foster care?

A: Transferring the case from kinship care to foster care normally indicates that state social services has made a legal decision that the child’s extended birth family cannot provide a safe place for this little girl.

Do social services have an obligation to care for a child's mother?

Be aware that social services has an obligation to provide help to a child’s mother, so that she can care for her child in the future, as well as an obligation to inform the father of his rights. While this period is not easy, you should do your best to communicate as much as possible with the child’s family.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9