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Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc. |
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Family Foster Care |
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Family Foster Care is the opening of your home to children who need temporary out-of-home placement in a nurturing, family environment. Foster care is temporary care in a family environment of children and youth from infancy to 21 years old. These children must leave their own families for a few weeks, months, or several years due to abuse, neglect, parent incapacitation, or the youth’s own unmanageable behaviors. Family Foster Care’s ultimate goal is to reunite children with their families, prepare them for adoption and/or independent living. Our program works currently in partnership with 15 departments of Social Services that call on us often to place their children in our licensed foster homes. We as an agency take responsibility of a child that is in the DSS system. Our agency works closely with DSS departments around North Carolina.
The first requirement for being a foster parent is to love children regardless of their background of any problem which might seem as not fitting the “normal” picture we may hold for children. However, these children also need structure and social skills training. Foster parents have pledged to accept these youngsters into their home and provide the love and guidance they would give their own children as well as attend to their special needs and problems. Foster parents must:
Forms Foster parents are required to complete certain forms and procedures including: criminal background checks, a fire inspection of their home, as well as a medical history check. We would like our foster parents to be medically able to foster and care for a child. You can access and print these forms here: · Fire Inspection - http://info.dhhs.state.nc.us/olm/forms/dss/dss-1451.pdf · Fire Inspection Safety Report - http://info.dhhs.state.nc.us/olm/forms/dss/dss-1515.pdf · Medical Examination - http://info.dhhs.state.nc.us/olm/forms/dss/dss-1653.pdf · Medical History Form - http://info.dhhs.state.nc.us/olm/forms/dss/dss-5017-ia.pdf Beyond these requirements a foster parent needs to have determination, patience, humor, and love for children, regardless of their background. Everyone has the potential to be a foster parent, but not everyone is cut out to be one. It takes a special person to open their home and their heart to at-risk children. Training Foster parents working within the Boys and Girls Homes organization receive in-depth training, both before and after children are placed with them. This training includes information on topics such as child abuse and neglect; working with birth parents and helping foster children deal with the issues they face. Training that the foster parent receives involves a 36 hour MAPP/GPS class. The MAPP/GPS classes stands for Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting, Group Preparation and Selection. The classes are held up to four times a year in various locations, to meet the needs of our prospective foster parents. The classes that are held for the prospective foster and/or adoptive parents are as follows: January 7 through February 28, 2008, Mondays and Thursdays; Kinston, NC Next Scheduled Class- February 5 - open house, Hope Mills, NC; Tuesdays and Thursdays, First Baptist Church, 1200 Cameron Road Persons interested in attending MAPP training should download and complete the FAMILY FOSTER/ADOPTIVE CARE PARENT INITIAL APPLICATION. Once completed it can be returned by email or regular mail.
· Meeting 1: Welcome to the Group Preparation and Selection Program · In this meeting we have a question and answer session. The prospective foster and/or adoptive parents introduce one another and everyone learns the basics of the foster care and adoption process. · Meeting 2: Where the MAPP leads: A Foster Care/Adoption Experience · In this meeting we will discuss how a family becomes a client; the foster home experience for both the child and the foster parent; visits with biological parents; and family reunification. Remember that the Family Foster Care’s ultimate goal is family reunification. · Meeting 3: Losses and Gains: The Need to be a Loss Expert · Children in foster care experience many losses and foster parents must be able to recognize and work with these losses. We explain in this meeting that loss is really powerful and why it is so powerful. Also we discuss how to turn losses into gains for the foster child. · Meeting 4: Helping Children with Attachments · We discuss what attachment is, the importance of attachment, and how attachment develops. Children in foster care may experience physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and separation; these issues will impact attachment. One of the goals for foster parents is to learn how to turn negative attachment issues into positive. · Meeting 5: Helping Children Learn to Manage Their Behaviors · In this class we discuss discipline methods and the important role of foster parents and adoptive parents in helping children experience feelings and manage behaviors. When children come into care they may not be aware of correct discipline methods, so they must be re-taught how to behave. · Meeting 6: Helping Children with Birth Family Connections · It is important to maintain birth family connections between the foster child and the biological parents. Foster parents must be open to this experience and be willing to help out with these connections. · Meeting 7: Gains and Losses: Helping Children Leave Foster Care · In this meeting we will discuss the issues of family reunification, adoption, and when children cannot go home. These issues are classified as disruptions in children’s lives, and foster parents must be able to deal with and understand these disruptions. · Meeting 8: Understanding the Impact of Fostering and Adopting · In this meeting we discuss the family system and parts of the family system that are affected by fostering and adopting a child. Also in this class we discuss what the child brings and the first 24 hours that the child is in the home; since this can be a shock for new foster parents. · Meeting 9 & 10: Shared Parenting/Fostering the Sexually Abused Child Teaching Family Model · In this meeting we discuss the Teaching Family Model which is a guideline for foster and adoptive parents in working with foster children. Also we discuss the concept of Shared Parenting which is where the foster parent and the biological parent have collaboration in working with the child. We also discussed fostering the sexually abused child, which is a very sensitive subject but must be discussed. · Meeting 10& 11: CPR/First Aid · In this meeting we discuss basic CPR and first aid information. · Meeting 12: Graduation · This meeting is a celebration of you becoming a foster parent and completing the MAPP/GPS class. Where do our foster children come from? Our children come from counties all over North Carolina. Children come into our care from the following counties: New Hanover, Columbus, Craven, Brunswick, Bladen, Pender, Onslow, Cumberland, Wayne, Jones, and Carteret. The children that come into our care may be individual children or they may have siblings. They may be newborns or teenagers. They have all suffered the loss of being removed from their families, so they will need new parents that are dedicated, loving and patient, to see them through the good times and the not so good times. A Team Approach Foster Parents are part of a team. All members of the team support each other, evaluate the child’s progress and help make decisions about their future. Each foster parent is paired with a consultant at the agency. The foster parent and the consultant have contact often: at least weekly by phone and monthly by visits to the home. Also the foster child should have a guardian ad litem who is there for support of the child; the sole purpose of this person is to advocate for the child. Both the consultant and the guardian ad litem are two support systems for the foster family. Some of the foster parent’s duties include:
What are the rewards? · Satisfaction of contributing to the welfare of the children in North Carolina · Opportunities for life-long friendships · Joy of seeing a family reunite · Being able to experience the joy and importance of providing a stable and caring environment for a child · Helping a child feel safe and secure · Helping a child's self-esteem What are the challenges? · Knowing that being a foster parent is temporary and that saying good-bye is not always easy · Working with birth parents toward returning the child home · Helping recruit other families willing to foster children · Knowing that your life and your family's life might need to be rearranged to accommodate the needs of the foster child · Realizing that being a foster parent is a big step for you and your family What about finances? Foster parents receive monthly funds to assist with the care of foster children. This amount of money is not to be used in any means as a form of income, but should be used solely for the benefit of the foster child. There is additional money available to help with clothing expenses. Medical expenses are provided for the children as well. Children in foster care are eligible for Medicaid until the age of 18, and if the child signs a CARS (Contractual Agreements for Residential Care) agreement they can receive Medicaid until the age of 21. Are you interested in becoming a foster parent? For information contact: LeAnne Fowler (910) 646-1124 extension 217 Or Donna Yalch (910) 646-1124 extension 236 donna.yalch@bghnc.org
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What is
Family Foster Care?
Who are
Foster Parents?