 The Foster Family Agency is the least restrictive, most home like, of our levels of residential care.
Beginning with the selection of foster families, we have several features that distinguish us from competitors. EA's recruitment relies on word of mouth referrals from existing foster parents. This provides an initial level of screening. The screening process continues with in-depth interviews, fingerprint and child abuse index clearances, DMV printouts, and home safety inspections. We contact three references and freely solicit public input about prospective applicants. The screening is further aided by a set of practical child management situation questions, which are reviewed for adequacy and applicability.
Having passed the screening level, foster parents undergo a pre-service training program.
Training continues through EA sponsored group training and a State approved independent study program. A minimum of twelve hours of in-service training per year is required.
On a weekly basis, social workers
|
come to the home to assess the child, provide guidance and support for parents, and insure the individual treatment plan developed for each child is followed. Social workers are available 24 hours a day to provide emergency assistance.
All social workers are expected to cover each other's caseload and to insure good service. Weekly case conferences are held by EA social workers.
The FFA program provides a variety of wrap-around social services.
This means we coordinate, facilitate, and/or directly supply the family, child, and agencies with needed services. These services include a full range of residential care coverage, including medical and dental evaluation and treatment, counseling or mental health treatment, education, independent living skills, substance abuse programs and pregnancy prevention information.
|
Admission Criteria
We accept children from birth through age eighteen, who are able to function in a community setting. Besides a wide array of children with behavioral problems, we routinely admit those with a variety of handicaps, including those with developmental delays, pregnant and teen mothers with infants, and medically fragile children.
From our experience with screening methods since 1981, we have concluded:
Relying on the judgment of placement agencies is as good as, and often better than, interviews with the child.
Consequently, admission is usually arranged on the phone, offering immediate response to placement agencies. We have several people who regularly visit placement agencies when personal assessments are needed. We maintain enough flexibility to accommodate most unique placement requests.
|
