What is Fostering?

1. Medical appointments
2. Visits with their biological family
3. To and from school
4. Therapy appointments
5. After-school activities (sports, etc.)
6. Court Hearings
7. Attend parent/teacher conferences and other school meetings

1. New bumps, bruises, or scrapes
2. Interactions with the biological family
3. Changes to their schedule
4. Problems, issues, or behaviors
5. Awards or other good behaviors
6. All other unusual occurrences

1. Vacation
2. Out-of-town family trips
3. Birthday parties
4. Birthdays for foster children: the same as your own children – cake, presents, etc.
5. Family holidays

1. Backpacks
2. Crayons
3. Reading books
4. Educational toys
5. Arts and crafts supplies

1. Spend quality time interacting with the children
2. Check/help with children’s homework and school projects
3. Protect and nurture children.
4. Recognize children’s developmental needs and address any developmental delays.
5. Support relationships between children and their biological families.
6. Be prepared to transition children to adoption or guardianship.

1. Age, gender and expected time in placement
2. Medical needs 
3. Name of medication currently being taken by the child, as well as any diagnoses
4. Any dangerous or unusual behaviors that may pose a risk to other children in the home
5. Reason for removal from the biological family
6. Name and location of school
7. Visitation schedule 

Kids Kasa will take into consideration the resource family’s capacity, gender, age and any other placement preferences.  If the referral is a good match, Kids Kasa will contact the resource parent with all of the available information and talk with the resource parent to decide if the placement is a good fit. 

Resource parents are provided the opportunity in the Home Study portion of the application to describe the type of child they would like to help. Keep in mind that the more restrictions you put on the type of child you can work with, the longer it will take to place a child in your home. Location of the resource home in relation to the child’s school will be taken into consideration. The distance a parent is willing to travel can also have an impact on placement. These preferences can be updated with the Kids Kasa placement coordinator at any time. 

Keep in mind that in most cases a child is removed abruptly from the home and the social worker obtains very little information about the child. In most cases, we will only know why the child was removed from their home. It is advised that you sit with the child for a few moments after he/she is placed in your home and ask the child as many questions as possible to get to know them better and get more information on the child’s history. Find out if the child(ren) has allergies to food, medicine, etc. 

Intake Procedure

After placement is accepted, the county social worker will contact you in order to arrange your first meeting with the child(ren). When the county worker brings the children to the resource home, the resource parent will need to complete all necessary paperwork for placement. The resource parent should also ask the County Social Worker about the next scheduled visit with the biological family and court date for the child. The resource parent should get as much information about the children as possible from the county social worker, including likes/dislikes, allergies, medications, etc. 

A Kids Kasa Social Worker will visit the home and the children within 3 days after placement (24 hours if the child is under 5). During this time, resource parents should share all available information to the Kids Kasa Social Worker and complete the paperwork required by Kids Kasa (FFA placement agreement, Clothing Inventory Intake, Personal Property Intake, etc.).  We recommend you over you have written house rules, and that you go over them with the new children during the first 3 days of placement.

• Ask about any hobbies they may have
• Ask about their favorite types of food
• Ask what kind of music, movies, or tv shows they like to watch
• Find out what their daily routine was like at their previous home

Getting to know the child can create a smooth transition into foster care. Ultimately the goal is to have the child feel part of the resource family for however long they are placed in the home.

Activities when a child enters your home

A Clothing Inventory and Personal Property intake assessment will be completed when the child arrives. These should list all clothing and personal property that the child arrived with. 

All children should receive a medical examination within the first 30 days. 

Children 1 and up will also receive a dental examination within the first 30 days. 

Children 4 and up will need a vision examination. 

All children are required to receive a mental health examination, regardless of age. 

A Fire Drill will be completed within 48 hours of placement of the new child in your home.

Resource parents will fill out a Monthly Activities Log documenting all activities for each week including: school, visits, appointments, extracurricular activities, family outings, etc. 

A Developmental Checklist will need to be completed within one week of placement for all children under the age of 6. Be sure to take the time and monitor the child for completion of the activities on the checklist. For example, if the form states, “Copies square shapes,” ask the child to copy a square you have drawn rather than guessing at the child’s ability to copy the shape. Your Kids Kasa social worker can help you with these forms. Be sure to ask questions if you are unsure of any part of the checklist. 

School

Kids Kasa makes every effort to ensure that children remain in their school of origin. It is important that the children make as few changes as possible in order to reduce the effects of trauma. Kids Kasa asks that resource parents keep the school schedule and distance in mind when accepting placement. 

Resource parents should present their placement agreement to the child’s school and update the child’s emergency card the first day that the child attends school after placement. Resource parents should also request a copy of the child’s current grades, attendance record, and schedule. Be sure to give the Kids Kasa social worker a copy of these as well. 

Approval from the county and Kids Kasa must be received before a child can be transferred to a new school. If approval is given, be sure to inform your Kids Kasa social worker within 24 hours of enrollment and provide the Kids Kasa social worker with a copy of the paperwork and/or schedule. 

• All resource parents should put forth their best effort to be polite, friendly, and cordial to all biological parents.
• Any conflict between resource parents and biological parents should be reported to the Kids Kasa Social Worker and the County Social Worker immediately.
• It is always helpful for the resource parents to notice the behaviors of the biological parents and the children during and after visitation.
• Biological parents should not be allowed at the resource home.  Please do not invite them to your home while you have their children in placement.
• Visitation meetings should only be missed in an emergency and should be made up later.

Problem behaviors

Often foster children will exhibit some problem behaviors. These behaviors can range from being overly shy and quiet to having anger outbursts. Some children may exhibit emotional impairments, developmental delays, or mental health disorders. Difficult behaviors in foster children often stem from the past traumas the child has been through. This is a key concept to remember when dealing with the children. Understanding their background is the first step to understanding their problems. 

Some helpful suggestions to decrease these problem behaviors:

• deliberately ignore inappropriate behavior that can be tolerated.
• ease tension through humor.
• appeal directly to the child.
• encourage children to see their strengths, as well as their weaknesses.
• model appropriate behavior.
• teach children to express themselves verbally.
• Use reward systems.

Your Kids Kasa social worker is always available to help with outside resource to assist the resource parent and the client. Some additional resources are:

• Mental health therapy.
• Wraparound services – team works together to provide unique services to children in need.
• Therapeutic Behavioral Services – teaches child and care provider techniques to control problem behaviors.
• Individualized Education Plan – the school works with children who need specialized tools in the classroom.

Medications

Resource parents are responsible for monitoring and administering all medication. Resource parents will complete a medication log monthly and will be required to turn in the log at the end of the month.  These logs should include any medications regularly taken by the child and any medications that were temporary, such as when the child is sick. Over the counter medications such as pain reliever and cough syrup cannot be given to a child unless a doctor has signed a PRN form (to be signed by doctor at first CHDP physical, in the first month of placement).

All psychiatric medications must be prescribed by a licensed and approved primary care physician or psychiatrist. An application for psychotropic medication (JV220 form) must be completed and authorized by a judge before resource parents may begin administering any psychotropic medication. The county social worker is responsible for submitting the JV220 form and obtaining approval. 

Resource parents are responsible for monitoring changes in behavior after administering medication. Resource parents should report any changes, both positive and negative, and any side effects of the medication to the Kids Kasa social worker. Kids Kasa social workers will inform the resource parents of typical changes the client might experience and will ensure that the resource parent receive written information regarding the prescription for reference. 

• All medications must be properly documented on the Monthly Medication Log, which lists the name of the medication, the dosage, and when it was taken. 
  • All medications must be kept locked at all times.
  • The proper procedure must be followed for destruction of old medications.
• All children must have a PRN form signed regarding their ability to communicate his/her symptoms.
  • All over the counter medications can be given only by prescription. A prescription must be given for each problem with detailed instructions – it cannot simply say “to be taken as needed.”  See PRN form for instructions.

• To live in a safe, healthy, and comfortable home and to be treated with respect.
• To be free from physical, sexual, emotional or other abuse, or corporal punishment.
• To be free from discrimination, intimidation, or harassment based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition or sexual orientation or perception of having one or more of those characteristics.
• To receive adequate and healthy food and adequate clothing.
• To wear their own clothing.
• To possess and use personal possessions, including toilet articles.
• To receive medical, dental, vision, and mental health services.
• To be free of the administration of medication or chemical substances, unless authorized by a physician.
• To contact family members (unless prohibited by court order) and social workers, attorneys, foster youth advocates and supporters, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and probation officers.
• To visit and contact brothers and sisters, unless prohibited by court order.
• To contact Community Care Licensing Division of the State Department of Social Services or the State Foster Care Ombudsperson regarding violations of rights, to speak to representatives of these offices confidentially and to be free from threats or punishments for making complaints.
• To be informed by the caregiver of the provisions of the law regarding complaints.
• To make and receive confidential telephone calls and send and receive unopened mail (unless prohibited by court order).
• To attend religious services and activities of your choice.
• To maintain emancipation bank account and manage personal income, consistent with your age and developmental level, unless prohibited by the case plan.
• To not be locked in any room, building, or facility premises, unless placed in a community treatment facility.
• To not be placed in any restraining device, unless placed in a postural support and if approved in advance by the licensing agency or placement agency.
• To attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with your age and developmental level.
• To work and develop job skills at an age-appropriate level that is consistent with state law.
• To have social contacts with people outside of the foster care system, such as teachers, church members, mentors, and friends.
• To attend Independent Living Program classes and activities if they are 16 or older.
• To attend court hearings and speak to the judge.
• To have storage space for private use.
• To review their case plan if they are over 12 years of age and receive information regarding out-of-home placement and case plan, including being told of changes to the plan.
• To be free from unreasonable searches of personal belongings.
• To have all your juvenile court records be confidential (consistent with existing law).
• Kids Kasa Foster Care Inc. does not use seclusion when dealing with children. Therefore, resource parents are not allowed to lock a child in a room as punishment for misbehavior or to stop them from running away.