Career Foster Parents Program

Families/individuals interested in providing care and specialized intervention for children and youth who qualify for individualized care must have a contract with the Children's Division as a Contracted Career Foster Parent. This type of foster parent must meet all foster home licensing requirements, receive an additional 18 hours of behavioral foster care training and 9 hours of career foster parent training, and demonstrate the skills required to care for children requiring individualized care. The career Foster Parent is to serve as the primary change agent for these children and must be available to respond immediately to any problem experienced or created by the child whether it be at home, school or in the community. They receive a higher daily rate to insure their availability to meet the needs of the children. Some of their responsibilities include: provide the child opportunities for recreational/social activities; serve as a professional team member in developing appropriate plans for the child's care and treatment; work with natural parents to help them understand and manage the child's individual problems and prepare them to resume responsibility for the care of their children; maintain detailed and accurate reports of significant events involving the child, and arrange and transport child to all medical, dental and therapy appointments.

Who Is Eligible?

In order to qualify as a Career Foster Parent, the applicants must be able to meet the following criteria:

• Currently be a licensed Foster Parent, for the Children's Division; or,
  
  
• the primary caretaker, must have one year actual child-care experiences as a licensed foster parent -or-one year full time experience in a professional/volunteer capacity in the care/treatment of children who qualify for Individualized Care (IC)-or- any combination of the two. Graduation from a four year college, with a degree in Child and Family Development, Special Education, Psychology, Sociology or other closely related areas may be substituted for the required experience.
  
  
• Knowledge and understanding of-or willing/able to learn behavior modification techniques, theories of personality development and mental illness, communicate skills, positive parenting skills, crisis intervention skills and child advocacy skills,
  
  
• Ability to assist in the development and implementation of a treatment plan designed for a specific child;
  
  
• Ability to work effectively as a team member
  
  
• Participate in specialized training and practice designed specifically for Career Foster Parents
  
  
• Available twenty four hours per day except during periods of scheduled respite;
  
  
• Be able to make a minimum commitment of one year to work with a youth
  
  
• Ability to effectively advocate for timely and quality services for youth
  
  
• Ability to maintain an organized record keeping system;
  
  
• Ability to act independently to obtain needed services for child such as medical dental education etc.