Family Service Center provides three types of foster care, relative foster care, traditional foster care and specialized foster care. DCFS always tries to attempt to locate a relative for foster care placement if possible. The relative must be able to pass a background check and live in a safe home, and qualify as an immediate family member. Relative foster placements do not have to be licensed, but are encouraged to do so.
Traditional foster care is a placement with a non relative who has become licensed with the agency. As a traditional foster parent you are required to complete the licensing process, submit to background checks, a home study, attend training and comply with the licensing standards for foster family homes. Traditional placements are asked to identify their preference in age, race, gender and special needs of the children for whom they will be providing a foster care placement. Our agency tries to find the best possible match for any foster children needing a home.
Many of the children that our agency works with have behavioral, mental health or medical needs that can’t adequately be maintained in a traditional placement. Specialized foster care can be a placement with a relative or non relative, who has become licensed with the agency. As a specialized foster parent you are required to complete the licensing process, submit to background checks, a home study, attend training and comply with the licensing standards for foster family homes. Specialized foster placements are asked to take additional training to learn to parent children with more intensive needs. A general training will be offered initially by Family Service Center and then additional training will be offered on an ongoing basis specific to the child’s needs. The agency offers additional supports to specialized homes including visits from the caseworker at least three times a month, counseling services for the child and behavior specialists who are on call and able to respond to crisis situations seven days a week. A larger monthly subsidy is also provided to specialized foster parents to help address additional needs of the children. Specialized placements are asked by the licensing worker at the initial meeting to identify their preference in age, race, gender and special needs of the children for whom they will be providing a foster care placement.
