A Tender Love & Care FFA #336425454 provides wide ranging of services for the Foster Children in our placement. These services help Foster Children and/or Foster Parents in diverse ways. As any evolving organization, we continuously thrive to improve our services that will benefit our Foster Children and Foster Parents. Our goal is to ensure that when the Foster Child moves out of the Foster Care system s/he can live an independent and goal oriented life. We understand that at times, it may be easy to provide a caring and loving home for a Foster Child but difficult to provide a life when s/he lives the system. Our services are geared towards ensuring that Foster Child can face the tough challenges of life after leaving the system. These services include but does not limit to:
· Addressing medical and dental needs
· Provide individual and/or group counseling, Psychological, Psychiatric, and family counseling, through community resources
· Educate Foster Children and Parents on specialized County programs such as emancipation services, re-unification services, pregnant minor/mother services, short-term and long-term foster care
· Conduct assessments and design treatment plans based on requirements for each Foster Child and in consultation with Foster Parents and County Social Worker
· Identify, encourage and build on the strengths of each Foster Child
· Advocate for each placed child to receive all eligible educational services to achieve highest academic potential
· Provide emancipation services for all age appropriate foster children
· In addition to regular Foster Care placements, we also specialize in placing Foster Children with level 2 or 3 medical conditions, pregnant and teen mother Foster Children and Respite Care. Some of the level 2 or 3 specialized medical Foster Children we support are:
◦ Asthma Conditions
◦ Type 2 diabetes controlled (who are non-insulin dependent)
◦ Daily injections (insulin, asthmatic, allergies)
◦ Premature birth children
◦ Heart monitor (Apnea) that are not on medication
◦ Children at risk without any known diagnosis
◦ Oxygen while sleeping (for Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasis)
◦ Respiratory problems (asthma or allergies) requiring major dietary and/or environmental restrictions. Examples include no pets, no carpeting or overstuffed furniture, no smoking, no perfume or heavy scents, daily vacuuming and dusting with wet cloth, use of allergy proof bedding or pillow covers or use of air purifier and/or air conditioner
· Provide emancipation and Transitional housing planning services via county funded Independent Living and Support Programs (ILSP) for all age appropriate Foster Children
· Support teen Foster Children transitioning from Group Homes to Foster Care
· Support Foster Children with history of behavior problems such as cursing and anger management
· Involve teachers and school counselors to continuously improve academic progress.
· Acknowledge desirable behavior and school achievement by using incentives and awards.
· Continuous education program for our staff in following areas:
◦ Behavioral Management of difficult children
◦ Cultivating staff strengths while providing family services
◦ Legal responsibilities of social workers
◦ How to conduct family unity meetings
◦ Cultural Competency Training: Issues and Processes
◦ Assessing family strengths & building families.
· Provide facilitation service between Foster Children and Foster Parent when needed
· Provide intervention plan to respond to the child’s maladaptive behaviors both in the home and at school
· Assist certified Foster Parents in identifying recreational resources, requesting appropriate referrals, and ensuring that all placed Foster Children participate in developmentally and physically appropriate leisure activities
· Assist certified Foster Parents in meeting the educational needs of each Foster Child by interfacing with school personnel, monitor progress and request updates
· Provide assistance in locating and referring Foster Child to appropriate tutoring services and after-school activities
· Monitor birth family visitations with the Foster Child as mandated, in certain situations
· Conduct on-going parenting training to help certified Foster Parents develop positive parenting skills
· Conduct special events such as annual picnics, holiday parties, and recognition events
