Foster Care The foster care program of Buckner provides a unique opportunity for a family to share their home with a child who is temporarily in need of a home. Pre-school age children in need of out-of-home placement are routinely considered for foster care. School age children who are open to the level of intimacy required to live in a family setting and whose behavior is such that they can be cared for in a less restrictive setting are appropriate for foster care. Foster children range in ages from birth to 17 years of age. MISSION STATEMENT: Foster Care is not a lifetime of commitment to a child; rather it is a commitment to be meaningful in a child’s lifetime. NEED FOR SERVICES: There are many reasons why children sometimes need to live away from their family of origin: • Family crisis due to loss of job, illness, incarceration or personal emotional needs • Crisis related to alcoholism or drug dependency • History of family abuse or neglect • A history of family conflict and an unwillingness or inability to resolve issues Buckner is not able to provide care to children who: • In need of psychiatric hospitalization • Demonstrate unmanageable behavior problems • Are a threat to self or others • Require 24-hour nursing care and special medical procedures to sustain life • Are chemically dependent SERVICES PROVIDED: Buckner staff develops an individualized plan of service or treatment plan for each child that addresses the following areas: • Physical/medical/development • Family • Educational • Social • Emotional/psychological/spiritual • Behavioral • Independent living skills • Recreational • Foster to Adopt Services TYPE OF FOSTER HOMES: Buckner is equipped to admit children on both an emergency basis and a planned admission referral process. Emergency admission of children is limited to those children needing placement because they are in danger or have been abandoned and adequate shelter and appropriate supervision is unavailable. All other admissions will be conducted through a planned admission process including an admission assessment and development of a plan of service or treatment plan according to the timeframes required by minimum standards. • Respite Foster Homes provide relief-care to children in placement with other foster families on weekends or during vacation periods • Emergency Foster Homes provide short-term shelter care • Basic Care Foster Homes provide care for children who can function without the need of support services such as counseling, special education, etc. • Therapeutic Foster Homes provide care for children who need support services such as counseling, special education, etc. • Habilitative Foster Homes provide care for children who are mentally challenged or medically fragile • Transitional Foster Homes provide care for children awaiting placement in an adoptive family • Foster to Adopt Homes Except in an emergency placement, children are admitted for care only after the parent or managing conservator has completed an application for admission and provided required documentation; i.e., physical examination report, immunization records, birth certificate, school records, copy of court orders regarding custody, social security card, and a copy of a psychological or psychiatric evaluations (if applicable). FOSTER CARE INITIAL SCREENING POLICIES: • Have an interest in working with the types of children Buckner serves • Be interested in providing temporary care for children • If the inquiry includes a couple, they must be legally married for at least two years • The applicant/applicants must be at least 21 years of age • The applicant/applicants must have a high school diploma, G.E.D. or be able to demonstrate skill level in reading, writing, handling basic mathematics, and being able to learn from an academic setting • The applicant/applicants must be active members of a Christian church • The applicant/applicants must have access to transportation. If personal transportation is used, the applicant must provide Buckner with proof of liability insurance If the inquiring applicant/applicants meet all of the aforementioned criteria, a foster care packet or information is provided to the individual or family. The packet includes: • An application with listing of references • A copy of the Buckner Foster Care Policies • A listing of needed documents: TB testing, pet vaccination, health and fire inspections, a floor plan of home, and information for a criminal background or reason-to-believe finding a child abuse check • Other documents may be requested in the course of the foster home study such as: birth certificates, marriage certificate, military discharges, etc. APPLICATION PROCESS: Buckner has adopted the Foster Care P.R.I.D.E. curriculum (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) developed by Child Welfare League of America as the orientation and assessment model for foster parent applicants. In addition, other orientation and training materials may be made available and identified separately from the P.R.I.D.E. material based on the specialized needs of the children Buckner serves. All applicants for foster care must participate in nine modules of pre-service training (27 hours) designed for prospective foster parents. During the course of the training modules, home visits and interviews with all family members will be conducted by Buckner staff as part of the assessment process and mandate by the Minimum Standards for Child Placing Agencies. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BECOMING A FOSTER PARENT CONTACT: David Chandler Foster Care Director Phone: (214) 319-3457 FOSTER CARE STAFF: Sheree Scott Home Developer Jill Woicik Caseworker Janet Carpenter Caseworker Cynthia Blake Caseworker Jim Chupa Intake Coordinator