Who is eligible to become a Care Provider?
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Married or single
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Age 21 or older
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Home owner or renter
What are the requirements of becoming a Care Provider?
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KBI/SRS background check
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Meeting all licensing requirements
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Adequate sleeping arrangements
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Complete required training
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Outside source of income
How thorough is the initial training?
The cornerstone of
TFI Family Services's Foster Care
Program is its comprehensive training. Prior to being licensed, families
receive training covering topics such as: feelings, behaviors, working with the
system, identifying abuse, and understanding the legal aspects of Foster/Resource parenting. We provide MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting)
Training for our Care Providers and continuing educational programs. Additional training prior to licensing is required for Juvenile Offender Care
Providers.
What types of programs does
TFI Family Services offer?
Families can choose from specialized programs:
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Supported Family Living Homes, in which the families provide
care for children with mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities; or
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Children In Need of Care: Traditional foster care in
specified regions; or
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Non-Violent Juvenile Offender Care: Foster care for
children who have special needs based on their Juvenile Offender legal status;
or
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Adoption Care: Providing foster care to children who
have had their parental rights terminated; or
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Emergency Care, in which families care for children who are
in immediate need of placement, usually for a weekend or until arrangements for
care can be made; or
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Respite Care, in which families care for children already in
care. They provide substitute care for Providers who just need time away;
or
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Therapeutic Care: Care for children with severe
emotional or behavioral concerns requiring close supervision; or
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Diversion Care: Care for children needing a highly
structured setting; to avoid a residential placement; or to transition back
home.
For more information about the types of care available,
click here.
What information will be available regarding the
children?
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Detailed background information
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Short-term and/or long-term placement plans
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Whenever possible, pre-placement visits are held prior to
placement
What support system is available to our families?
Our Foster Care Programs differ from traditional foster care
in that our programs and services focus on maintaining healthy families. We offer:
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Foster/Resource parent Liability/Homeowners Insurance
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24 hour on-call social worker
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An informative monthly newsletter: "Between
Families"
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Support Meetings near your home
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Free ongoing training
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Multi-media resource library
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Exciting adoption opportunities
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Foster care offices throughout the state
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Respite care available
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Your own professional and consistent personal case
manager/social worker
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Empathetic family advocates near you to assist with your
day-to-day foster care needs
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In-home behavioral health services with no waiting period
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Ranked #1 in Foster Care Provider Satisfaction Survey (SRS
approved survey by the University of Kansas, Kimberlee C. Murphy, Ph.D., School
of Social Welfare, dated August 21, 1998)
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Awarded "Foster Care Agency of the Year" for 2000
and 2001 by Kansas Foster & Adoptive Families, Inc.
What is the financial plan?
Bi-monthly reimbursements to the family. Amount of
payments are based upon the needs of the child.
What is the background of our Foster Care Programs?
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TFI Family Services is a statewide agency in its third decade of
service to abused and neglected children.
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TFI Family Services initially began its Foster Care Program in
response to the statewide overload of children in emergency shelters and group
home care. The goal was, and still is, to keep siblings together and
minimize the number of disruptions in their young lives.
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The program evolved in 1992 when
TFI Family Services was
approached by the State of Kansas to assist in placing children with mental
retardation/developmental disabilities into community-based home care.
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TFI Family Services is partially funded through the Region One
contract from the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services,
sub-contracting with contracting agencies: affiliate agreements or
agreements with CDDO's; direct payments by law enforcement or intake/assessment
programs.
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