The Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program is a federally funded multi-cultural foster care program. The URM program places youth who arrive as refugees without a parent or caregiver into certified foster homes with specially trained foster parents. The Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program serves youth up to age 21 who enter the United States as refugees prior to their 18th birthday. These youth
arrive without a parent or guardian to care for them, and are therefore placed in the custody of Onondaga County and then cared for in Toomey Foster Homes. There are a variety of reasons that the youth we serve may be unaccompanied, including war, widespread instability in their home country, persecution and genocide, abuse, neglect and abandonment, among others. The majority of the youth in our program are teenagers and come from all areas of the world. They represent a wide variety of ethnicities, religions, native languages, and cultures. As an agency, we value having a diverse population of foster parents with different backgrounds, parenting styles, religious beliefs and unique perspectives. The most important qualities of a successful foster parent are an open mind and a loving heart! Some additional guidelines are:
*Must be at least 21 years old
*Can be single, living with a partner, or married
*Can either rent or own their home. as long as the home is in good repair and has appropriate space for a child
*Must demonstrate ability to meet own financial obligations prior to certification
*Must live within an hour of Syracuse
*Must be willing to work as part of a casework team in order to meet the best interests of the child(ren).
*Must be deemed mentally, physically, and morally fit to foster
*Must consent to a series of background checks
*Must attend a 9 week certification course and keep up to date with agency requirements for yearly re-certification
WHEN ARE CERTIFICATION CLASSES OFFERED? The certification class is a 9 week long course, and is offered several times throughout the year. The class covers refugee specific topics, foster care policies and issues, and therapeutic parenting skills. Classes are scheduled based on participant availability, and can be offered during the evenings. The best way to find out when the next certification class will be is to give us a call! WHY IS TOOMEY THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR ME? Toomey offers a wide array of unique services and benefits, including:
*We are the only program in Syracuse that works with unaccompanied refugee minors, and are one of only 20 such programs nationally.
*Our caseworkers carry smaller caseloads, allowing them to spend more time and give more attention to each youth and foster family that they work with.
*Foster parents work with a designated staff person throughout the inquiry, certification, and placement process in addition to having a caseworker assigned to each youth in their care.
*Foster parents will be provided with training and resources on both foster care and refugee specific topics to help them best meet the needs of the youth in their care. Foster parents will be certified to provide therapeutic level care and be given the knowledge and resources necessary to maintain that certification.
*An on call staff is reachable 24/7 to handle urgent situations.
*The foster care team includes an in house therapist and a independent living skills coordinator who can provide additional supportive services without having to refer out to other providers. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM INTERESTED IN BECOMING A FOSTER PARENT? Reach out to us! The first step is an interview with our Foster Parent Program Manager, Brianna Kline, who can be reached at 315-424-1845.
