Therapeutic Foster Care

Therapeutic Foster Parent Responsibilities

1. The therapeutic foster parent assists Contractor staff in the development and review of treatment plans for each resident or youth in their care.  Therapeutic foster parents contribute vital input based upon their observations of the resident in the natual environment of the treatment home.
2. The therapeutic foster parent assumes primary responsibility for implementing the in-home treatment strategies specified in the youth's initial and comprehensive treatment plans and revisions thereof.
3. The therapeutic foster parent works cooperatively with Contractor staff and attends team meetings, training sessions and other gatherings required by the Contractor or by the resident's treatment plan.
4. In order to allow tracking and evaluation of services provided in the treatment home and of the Contractor's program as a whole, the therapeutic foster parent systematically records information and documents activities as required by the Contractor and the standards under which it operates.
5. The therapeutic foster parent keeps a systematic and descriptive record of the resident's behavior and progress in targeted areas on a daily basis.
6. The therapeutic foster parent assists the resident in maintaining contact with his/her family and works actively to support and enhance these relationships, unless contraindicated in the youth's treatment plan.
7. The therapeutic foster parent assists with efforts specified by the treatment team to meet the resident's permanency planning goal(s).  Such efforts may include emotional support, advice, and demonstration of effective resident behavior management and other therapeutic interventions to the resident's family, as well as the provision of support to the family and resident during the initial period of post-therapeutic foster care placement.
8. The therapeutic foster parent develops and maintains positive working relationships with service providers in the community such as schools, departments of recreation, social service agencies, and mental health programs and professionals.
9. The therapeutic foster parent, in concert with the Contractor staff, advocates on behalf of the resident to achieve the goals identified in the resident's treatment plan, to obtain educational, vocational, medical and other services needed to implement the plan, and to assure full access to and provision of public services to which the resident is legally entitled.
10. Unless a move is required to protect the health or safety of the resident or other family members, the therapeutic foster parent provides at least 14 days' notice to Contractor staff if requesting a resident's removal from the home to allow for a planned and minimally disruptive transition.
11. The therapeutic foster parent agrees not to use physical punishment with children placed in their care and agrees to adhere to the Contractor's policies regarding behavior management.
12. The therapeutic foster parent agrees to cooperate with the Department during, any investigation of reported child abuse or neglect; the Department worker's required monthly face-to-face contact with the resident and therapeutic foster parent in the therapeutic foster home; and with the resident's permanency plan as determined by the Department.