Short-Term Foster Care
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Foster Care and Adoption Short-Term Foster Care Information
Our Short-Term Foster Care Program offers families the opportunity to make a significant impact in a child's life, even with a limited time commitment. Designed for those who can provide care for a weekend, a week, or a month, this program addresses critical needs such as respite care for foster families, transitional support for children between placements, and immediate care for children newly entering the foster system.
This program is perfect for families eager to become foster carers but unable to commit to long-term placements. By stepping in during these crucial times, families can offer safety, stability, and comfort to children when they need it most. Despite the short duration, the care and support provided can have lasting positive effects on the children, helping them feel secure and valued during periods of uncertainty.
Join us in making a difference through our Short-Term Foster Care Program, where even brief moments of care can lead to a lifetime of positive change.
FAQs
Unlike traditional foster care, where families commit to caring for children for an indefinite period, short-term foster care focuses on providing a safe, nurturing environment for a limited time, typically between 24 hours and 30 days. This program allows you to make a meaningful impact during a crucial time in a child's life, offering them comfort and care when they need it most.
Short-term foster care gives children in foster care the opportunity to be in a safe, caring home in many different situations. These include when children initially enter foster care, when children have left a foster home or facility care and their next placement hasn't been identified yet, and when their ongoing foster family needs respite care.
Overall, the licensing process is the same whether a family is planning to provide short-term or traditional foster care. The primary difference is in the training that is required for each program. Licensing takes between 3 and 6 months and we provide you lots of support throughout. The most important job we have as a children's services agency is ensuring that all children entrusted to us are in safe, caring homes and the licensing process for all of our foster and adoption services is designed to do that very effectively.
All kinds of individuals and couples can make great short-term foster families. Families can be single adults or couples, homeowners or renters, empty nesters, young professionals, folks currently parenting children, and lots more. Providing short-term foster care is a great option for folks who want to provide safety and comfort to children in foster care but aren't ready for a long commitment. We're looking for people who are safe, kind, patient, and willing to learn about how to care for amazing children who have experienced really hard things.
All foster families:
- Are assigned a caseworker who partners with them in making sure that they and the children in their care have lots of friendly support.
- Have access to our on-call answering service so any urgent situations they have can be supported by our staff no matter what time or day it is.
- Have the medical, dental, and vision care for their foster children covered by Medical Assistance.
- Are eligible to use a local foster closet where they can obtain clothing, toiletries, and other supplies for their foster children at no cost.
- Receive a financial stipend for the time that children are placed with them.
Children needing short-term foster care will typically be children ages 4 years and up, teens, siblings, and in the case of children who are just entering foster care, children we don't know much about yet. All of the children will have experienced trauma and are considered to have special needs. There are typically few babies or toddlers who will need short-term foster care. All of the children coming into foster care, whether short-term or traditional foster care are amazing children who deserve to have safe place with a family who will welcome them, keep them safe, and let them know how much they matter.
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