Foster Care Information Foster Parent Information

Ray is a 6-year-old boy who came into the foster care system when he was 3 days old. Ray was born cocaine exposed, intrauterine. He also had fetal alcohol syndrome. He was admitted into our specialized care when he was just about 2 years old. We placed him in one of our Crest Hill homes and enrolled him in our Homestead Care Program. Ray’s care team included a case manager, a licensed clinical counselor, our nurse, educational advocate and the supervisor of foster care. He also received speech, occupational and physical therapy all arranged by his case manager and educational advocate. It took about three months before Ray began to make real progress. He first began to show significant improvement in developmental delays in speech, fine motor and gross motor skills. Because he lived at Crest Hill and was in our Homestead Care program, he had many guided socialization opportunities and eventually began to improve, making friends and for the first time in his life, spontaneously joining in activities with other children.

Later that year, Ray received the best Christmas gift ever, as did his foster family. He was officially adopted! No longer would he be known as a number or get lost in the system – he now has a safe place to live, somewhere to call home, a family that loves him and he will never ever be fearful again!

Our Children’s Homestead is contracted through the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to provide foster care programs for children from infancy to age 18, as well as foster parent training. In this family based environment, children receive medical care and counseling as well as the guidance and nurturing they need to become healthy, productive and loving adults.

Traditional Foster Care – Children without significant medical or mental health needs are sent to us from DCFS for foster care placement.
Medically Complex – Children who have chronic medical conditions but do not have behavioral problems that accompany them.
Treatment Foster Care – Children with medical, emotional and/or behavioral concerns receive therapy and foster parents receive weekly consultations. The majority of children in OCH care are at this level.

 

Reasons children enter foster care? Children enter foster care for one or more of the following reasons: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect (i.e. malnourishment, clothed unsuitably, environmental conditions, disregard to vital medical care, etc.) Under certain circumstances biological parents are mentally/physically disabled to the extent that they are unable to adequately provide for their children. Another reason is called “risk of harm”. These are situations where it is determined that a child would be at serious risk of being harmed if they were to continue living with their biological parents (i.e. drug exposed, substance abuse or history of having children in the system for very serious abuse/neglect.) The children we obtain almost always come into foster care with a combination of these problems.

What approach do we take with our children? When a child arrives in our care he/she is assigned to a Care Team. This “team” is appointed to advocate for that child at all times by looking out for their best interest. The team meets monthly or more often if necessary. Within the child’s first 3 weeks, the team conducts a comprehensive assessment of need and subsequently meets with the child to make sure the treatment plan assigned is being tailored to meet the unique needs of each child. The team works to identify the child’s dreams for their future making sure they can build a plan that will help them achieve their dreams. The team is composed of trained and licensed foster parent(s), a specialized case manager, and most importantly a permanency specialist. The permanency specialist’s job is to represent the child in court, obtain special services when needed, advise them as obstacles arise and conducts in-home safety checks. The child is also assigned a licensed therapist and or a psychiatric/pediatric nurse. Most of our children benefit from having either a paid or volunteer mentor who provides one on one focused attention and role modeling.

What are some outcomes for foster children? There are four legal goals that our children usually have:

1. Return home - Within 12 months of having the child we work with the biological family to reconcile their problems that led to the child being taken away.
    
2. Adoption - The court makes the decision that the biological family will not/cannot complete the necessary treatment in order to reconcile their problems. This takes at least 18 months, which at that point the parent’s rights are legally terminated. Once a child has the goal of adoption, they must live with a licensed foster parent(s), successfully, for at least 6 months. If the foster family chooses to adopt, that child/youth then becomes a permanent member of the adoptive family.
    
3. Subsidized Guardianship - This deals with children, usually older teens, whose parental rights have not been terminated and choose not to be adopted by their foster family. They can become a permanent part of a licensed foster parent’s family without being legally adopted. The foster parents provide a monthly amount of financial assistance and the child is no longer part of the child welfare system.
    
4. Independence - Finally, any youth, 16 or older can have a goal of independence. In such cases we work to help them develop necessary skills through our Youth Vocation Program to be successful adults, i.e. college, job training, daily living skills, budgeting, social skills, etc.
    

Where do our children come from? Although we are able to care for children from anywhere in the state of Illinois, most of our children originally reside in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane or Kendall Counties. The state makes every effort to keep them as close to their original residence as possible. This is mainly important to minimize the scope of change the child must endure. It is also essential when the child is to visit siblings or requires participation in treatment or therapy with his/her biological family.

• Foster Parent Application
  (Right-Click Here to Download)
   
• Foster Parent Implementation Plan
  (Right-Click Here to Download)
• Foster Parent Rules and Procedures
  (Right-Click Here to Download)

What are the benefits of being a foster parent?

• A sense of accomplishment
• The chance to help children feel good about themselves
• Pride in doing a meaningful and important job
• The ability to give a child a family and a home
• Challenging experiences
• The opportunity to meet and work with new people
• A chance to pursue special talents and knowledge
• The opportunity to make a lifetime of difference in a short period of time

What kind of training and support can I expect to receive as a foster parent?
In the process of becoming a licensed foster parent, you will take a 30-hour class entitled "Pride" which is offered by DCFS through local colleges. You will also be required to complete 24 hours of continuing education classes each year to maintain your licensed status.

New to OCH is the "Foster Parent Training Academy." This academy is based on the belief that foster parents need to feel supported and be educated to handle the children placed in their home. Ongoing meetings are conducted by either OCH staff or outside professionals that thoroughly cover topics foster parents are interested in and addresses any concerns they may have.

A personal caseworker is assigned to your child, a master's-level therapist, a registered nurse, and mentors are available to assist you in providing a supportive and positive environment for the child in your care.

 

What kind of financial assistance is available?
Foster families receive a set reimbursement to help with the expenses incurred while a child is in their home. Children carry medical and dental insurance coverage while in foster care. Through different fundraising efforts OCH tries to give our children “extras” not provided by larger agencies and DCFS such as birthday gifts, holiday, and our Summer Wish Program.
 

Why would I choose to affiliate with a private agency such as OCH and not DCFS?
71% of the children in substitute care in Illinois are taken care of by private agencies. At OCH, we pride ourselves in being a small agency that remains close to all its foster families focusing on their needs and what we can do to better help them so that they can help the child. Because of our small size, we can respond quickly to questions and issues that may arise. Most of our services are provided by our own staff (not a contracted service provider).