Therapeutic Foster Care

Therapeutic Foster Parent Rights

1. Be treated with dignity, respect and consideration as a professional member of the Child Welfare team;
2. Be notified and given appropriate, on-going education and continuing education and training to develop and enhance foster parenting skills;
3. Be informed about ways to contact the state agency or the child-placing agency in order to receive information and assistance to access supportive services for any resident in the foster parent's care;
4. Receive timely financial reimbursement for providing foster care services;
5. Be notified by written agreement or contract with the agency of any costs or expenses for which the foster parent may be eligible for reimbursement; (DHS does not reimburse therapeutic foster parents for transportation as this cost is included in the daily per diem.  DHS is not liable for any costs or expenses expended voluntarily by a foster parent for a resident which are in excess of the funds authorized for providing foster care services to the resident.)
6. Be provided a clear, written explanation of both the Agency's and the Department's individual treatment and service plan concerning the resident and biological family in the foster parent's home listing components of the plan pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Children's Code and the Oklahoma Foster Care and Out-Of-Home Placement Act.
7. Receive, at any time during which a resident is placed with the foster parent, additional or necessary information that is relevant to the care of the resident;
8. Be notified of scheduled review meetings, permanency planning meetings, and special staffings concerning the resident in order to actively participate in the case planning and decision-making process regarding the resident;
9. Provide input concerning the plan of services for the resident and to have that input be given full consideration in the same manner as information presented by any other professional on the team;
10. Communicate with other foster parents in order to share information regarding the resident, in particular receive any information concerning the number of times a resident has been moved and the reasons why and the names and telephone numbers of the previous foster parent if the previous foster parent has authorized such release;
11. Communicate with other professionals who work with the foster child within the context of the team including, but not limited to, therapists, physicians, and teachers.
12. Be given, in a timely and consistent manner, any information regarding the resident and the resident's family that is pertinent to the care and needs of the resident and to the making of a permanency plan for the resident.  Disclosure of information shall be limited to that information that is authorized by the provisions of Article V of the Oklahoma Children's Code for foster parents and Article VII of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code.
13. Be given responsible notice of any change in or addition to the services provided to the resident pursuant to the resident's individual treatment and service plan.
14. Be given written notice of plans to terminate the placement of the resident with the foster parent pursuant to Title 10, Section 7208 of the Oklahoma Statutes and the reasons for the changes or termination in the placement.  Notice shall be waived only in emergency cases pursuant to Title 10, Section 7208 of Oklahoma Statutes.
15. Be notified by the applicable state agency in a timely manner and complete mannger of all court hearings including notice of the date and time of court hearing, the name of the judge or hearing officer hearing the case, the location of the hearing, and the court docket number of the case.
16. Be informed of decisions made by the court, the Department and the Agency concerning the resident.
17. Be considered as a preferred placement option when a foster resident who was formerly placed with the foster parent is to reenter foster care at the same level and type of care, if that placement is consistent with the best interest of the resident and other children in the foster parent's home.
18. Be provided a fair, timely, and impartial invesitgation of complaints concerning the therapeutic foster parent's certification.
19. Be provided the opportunity to request and receive a fair and impartial hearing regarding decisions that affect certification, retention, or placement of children in the home.
20. Be allowed the right to exercise parental substitute authority. Given the special needs of children who meet the criteria for TFC, the Agency shall provide professional guidance to foster parents as they exercise their parental substitute authority.  Parental substitute authority includes but is not limited to, meeting the physical and emotional needs, teaching problem solving, self-control and responsibility and building the foster parent and foster resident relationship.  Parental substitute authority does not permit the use of corporal punishment, or the authorization of the use of corporal punishment, of any kind. Parental substitute authority allows the foster parent to integrate the foster resident into the family setting and to care for the foster resident in manners consistent with how the foster parent would care for the foster parent's own children.
21. Have timely access to the Agency's appeals process and the right to be free from acts of harassment and retaliation by any other party when exercising  the right to appeal.
22. Be given the number of the statewide toll-free Foster Parent Hot-Line.
23. File a grievance and be informed of the process for filing a grievance with the TFC agency and OKDHS.