Treatment Foster Care: One Parent's Story, page 2
Quick Facts Traditional vs Treatment Our program may be different from some others but basically:
- Unlike traditional foster care our choices are long term and basically irrevocable until a client has either completed their treatment or is discharged;
- We serve difficult to place children who either have extreme behavioral problems (that can range from fire setting, homicidal or suicidalthoughts, anger, extreme opposition, depression, etc.), health challenges (physical or mental disability), legal challenges (probation, truancy, etc.) or just in need of a home to age out of the system. Basically something prevents the child from being placed in traditional foster care.
- We usually have 1-2 placements, some dual parents have 3.
- If more than one child is placed a parent must remain home.
- We usually must give each placement a bedroom to him/herself. It is a rare occurrence for a child to room with anyone else.
- Regardless of whether we have 1 or 3 placements,we must be on-call for our placements 24 hours a day and able to respond to emergencies. And we have many of those... running away, skipping medical appointments, suspension from school, etc.
- We are often transporting the child to appointments, meetings, etc.
- In traditional foster care you may have younger children, more placements, have the children share bedrooms and can request a child be moved if theyare not working out in your home. We do not have the option of removal - to quit on a child means we are choosing to quit doing treatment.
- In traditional foster care you have less contact and it's less invasive than treatment foster care. Our homes are visited more often and we are expected to implement treatment at a level which best meets a child's needs.
- We cannot have overnight guests without notice and often our children require constant supervision or monitoring.
- Treatment foster care requires much more training and takes longer to begin than traditional foster care. The homestudies are basically the same, but the agency may have more requirements such as locking up sharp objects, keeping medicine and cleaners under lock and key, etc.
With treatment foster care you are going to have to expect challenges and difficult behaviors. Each client has a set of patient rights to which the treatment family must ensure adherence. We are monitored closely to ensure we are doing what is in the best interest of the child, and we have tobe open to ongoing monitering and support in the form of advice and direction. If you think
you know what is best, be prepared to be challenged. It will not always be easy to understand the limits and needs for each individual child in your care.
I hope you can gain some insight into which of the two forms of foster care you would like for your family.
Our main purpose is providing a safe, loving environment for a child who would otherwise be incarcerated, in a hospital, or in an abusive unsafe situation with biological families.
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Comments
This article was very helpful. My husband & I are looking to adopt (through fostering first) and are nearly finished MAPP training with an agency, but are just finding out that the program is a treatment foster program and only deal with kids with higher needs. We learned through MAPP that the agency provides a lot of support and now we understand why. Another hint was that they reimburse at a highter rate than the County. But the agency never explained that they only take in kids requiring treatment fostering so we had to do our own research. Through my research I found out that they are categorized as a treatment fostering agency program, and then reading your article helped me to understand exactly what that means. My husband and I are seeking traditional foster care so it would've been beneficial for the agency to enlighten us from the beginning. Thank you.
Posted by: asil at 10/08/2006 09:40 PM
I am interested in traditional care. I am a person whom love kids and have worked with them for many years and I do admire anyone who take on a treatment care child working with OI kids in the school system I have come to know how difficult it is and how stressful it can be but I have also had the ability to see these same kids feel a sense of security and love when they can come to school and have someone there that cares for them and treat them as a special child and not a special needs child. I have always wanted to work with physical and menatal challenge children and have had the opportunity so now I am snxiously awaitng becoming a foster parent. I now work with adults with mental,physical and emotional problem along with my Teacher's Assistance for the elementary children so working with people in general rather it be mental,physical, or emotional in the long run it is rewarding when you see someone smile when you enter the room and love to talk and do things with you it is just rewarding and I say again to all persons whom open their hearts to children rather it be traditional or treatment has to be special.
Posted by: Jakki at 11/26/2005 03:58 PM
I admire these families that do treatment foster care. They really have to be special to be able to do this time and time again. They know that when they take a child that it is a permanent placement. They are not able to just "quit" when the going gets rough. I am sure that that gives the children a feeling of security that will only help their treatment. Knowing that they are in a place where the caregivers will not give up on them is probably a good thing as well.
Posted by: jmrodg at 11/12/2005 03:40 PM
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