Professional Parenting Program PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
MODEL OF THE FOSTER AGENCY RockHaven Children’s Services Inc. is a treatment foster care agency in Central and Eastern Ontario providing individualized services to foster children with special needs. FOSTER CHILD PROFILE Generally, children who are placed in care have one or more special needs (ADD, ADHD, FAS, FAE, acting out behaviours, high anxieties, trauma due to abuse, neglect or even separation, physical and/or mental disabilities, etc.). These children require extra therapeutic and specialized support to stabilize a foster placement. Also, the foster parents require extra support and training to meet the needs of the children entrusted in their care. RockHaven will ensure that both the foster child and the foster parent’s needs are well supported. WHAT MAKES ROCKHAVEN A TREATMENT PROGRAM? RockHaven is a treatment program because of the services and supports provided to both the children and the foster parents. RockHaven also provides extensive training to our Foster Parents and staff, who we believe are the primary therapists for children in care.
Some of the supports offered by RockHaven include: • Following the “Wraparound Process” by Dr. John Vandenberg, Ph.D.; • Providing regular training sessions for the Foster Parents and staff with a psychologist/ psychotherapist, i.e. explaining and understanding body language and how to identify and deal with different acting out behaviours; • Providing therapy sessions (weekly or biweekly, individual or group) for the children on an as per need basis, as well as sessions available for the foster parents to better understand and work with difficult behaviours displayed by a foster child in their care; • Establishing treatment goals and success indicators at the child’s plan of cares i.e. goal: child attaining an “A” in math, success indicators might include: - attending class - completing assignments - making notable improvement in current grade. The appropriate person, in respect to the goal, would be appointed to monitor and assist the child in reaching that goal;
RockHaven Children’s Services Inc. Misson Statement This agency is dedicated to serving children in need. We acknowledge the individuality and beauty of each child. We acknowledge their need for security and acceptance. We will endeavour to provide physical, emotional and spiritual healing and support to the best of our ability; nurturing a child to their fullest potential.
• Providing a qualified one-on-one worker to assist and support a child’s needs. CYC’s may even accompany a child to school and be active in the educational and behavioural components of the classroom, or may support the child in the community or home environment. BASIC SUPPORTS OFFERED TO ROCKHAVEN FOSTER CHILDREN All foster children in the RockHaven program will receive the following: 1. Wraparound Process The WrapAround Process identifies every child in care as an individual with individual needs. The WrapAround consists of a team of family members as well as professionals, is community based, and is culturally competent and unconditional. The team would generally consist of the foster parents, a RockHaven representative, some other family member or family friend who cares about the child; the natural parents can be included if the situation is beneficial. The other half of the team would be professionals involved with the child, selected according to the needs of the child (teacher, therapist, social worker, medical or legal representative, etc.). The team should include the child unless it would prove to
be detrimental. The team should consist of 4-8 members and only half should be professional. Community-based means assessing the strengths and resources of the local community first before sending a child to a special institution or special school out of town, for example. Culturally competent means the team respects the child’s culture, values and ethnic background, and services are tailored accordingly. Unconditional means the team agrees to change services as the child and family needs change and never deny the child services due to severe disability. RockHaven will diligently provide the tools for the children in care to succeed in all areas of their lives: academic, social, emotional, spiritual and physical. RockHaven believes that each child has an area where he or she can experience success. Ultimately success breeds success; success raises self esteem; positive self esteem allows children to feel confident, to risk more and allows them to succeed again and again. Successful children become successful adults and that is RockHaven’s ultimate goal. The procedure to develop the WrapAround Process is as follows: 1. RockHaven will identify and recognize the strengths, values, preferences, cultural identity and norms of each child. 2. RockHaven works with the child and foster family to identify 4-8 persons important in the child’s life, to form a child and family team. Members of the team could include the foster parents, natural parents, if applicable, a RockHaven representative, the Placing Agency social worker, a teacher or school representative, Child and Youth
Worker, a therapist, a lawyer, doctor, the child (if capable) and any other important persons in the child’s life. The team must not be more than 50% professionals. 3. The child and family team looks at strengths, values, preferences of the child, family and the community. The team produces a plan that is based on the strengths and needs of the child. Needs are defined in positive terms, such as the need to succeed in school. Goals are set along with success indicators for achieving these goals. The appropriate person is appointed to support and monitor the child and the progress of the goal is reported back to the team at the Plan of Cares. 4. A crisis plan is produced by the child and family team. The crisis plan is intended to help prevent crisis, but also to deal with them if they occur. 5. Outcome indicators are designed and outcome information is collected as the plan is regularly reviewed. Without outcomes the WrapAround Process is not effective. 2. Two Week Camp Each child will have an opportunity to participate in two weeks of camp during the summer months. 3. Special Interests RockHaven strongly supports children’s involvement in sports, recreational, community based activities and/or hobbies. These activities allow the child an opportunity to feel successful, gain self confidence and self esteem, to learn about him/herself by being pushed to the limit and building dreams. Community activities also
give the child an opportunity to make friends and interact with peers. Special interests may also give the older youths in the program an opportunity to gain work experience either in a co-op, summer job or other leadership role (Sunday School teacher, camp counsellor). 4. Teenage Program The purpose of this program is to recognize and deal with the issues of adolescents in care as well as peer pressure, education and careers, puberty and sexuality, self esteem, drugs and alcohol, choices and decisions including the decision to leave care at 16 years of age. There will be monthly gatherings involving guest speakers to give insight and inspiration on certain topics. There will also be fundraising events and excursions such as: • camping trips: survival training, wilderness camping; • co-op experiences: working for a local farmer, construction company, babysitter, camp counsellor; • life skills: financial budgets, job application process, cooking and cleaning skills;
• group therapy sessions with a qualified therapist; • “teenager only” relief weekends. All youth in RockHaven between the ages of 13 and 18 are eligible to participate in this program however, it is at the discretion of the Placing Agency and RockHaven to determine if the child would be a good candidate for this program. 5. Summer Program This program was established to provide structured and organized activities for the children in RockHaven during the summer months. It is under the supervision of RockHaven Child and Youth Workers that activities and events are planned for the children three days a week. There will also be opportunities for fundraising, peer interaction, discussions of being in foster care with other foster children, overnight camping and developing and achieving personal challenges.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AVAILABLE WITHIN ROCKHAVEN 1. Therapy All foster children will have access to psychotherapy. The frequency and the amount of sessions will depend on the child’s needs with a maximum of three (3) blocks of twelve one (1) hour sessions per year. Topics discussed in therapy could include, but not limited to: • anger management • conflict resolution • grief therapy • separation anxiety • self esteem issues • personal issues 2. Support Workers Depending on the needs of the child, RockHaven will provide a one-on-one Child and Youth Worker or Family Support Worker for a child for up to 40 hours a week per child, providing additional tutoring, teaching life skills in the home or extra curricular activities in the community. Generally, only children that require support in the school environment receive 40 hours a week. 3. Monthly Relief Each child will go on monthly relief at least one weekend a month. Depending on the child and foster family’s needs relief may be provided on a bi-weekly or weekly basis in some cases. This will ensure a break for both the Foster Parents and the child.
PER DIEM LEVELS FOR THE FOSTER CHILDREN Level I
FOSTER PARENT PROFILES
- includes the basic supports plus:
Seasoned natural parents or adults with some experience working with special needs children. These families have not had any fostering experience yet.
- up to ten (10) hours a week with a one to one worker &/or - regular monthly weekend relief &/or - access to twelve one (1) hour sessions with a therapist
Seasoned foster parents or adults with extensive experience working with special needs children. They would feel comfortable fostering and caring for any level of child. SUPPORTS TO THE FOSTER PARENTS
Level II
1. Home Study
- includes the basic supports plus:
Each foster home will have an extensive home study and physical check done prior to placement to ensure the homes safety.
- up to forty (40) hours a week with a one to one worker &/or - bi-weekly or even weekly weekend relief &/or - access to three blocks of twelve one (1) hour therapy sessions
2. Orientation The main care giver will have at least 20 hours of Orientation training (as described in the Policy and Procedure Manual) to ensure that the foster parents and family are adequately trained and have a clear understanding of their roles and expectations prior to placement. 3. Training Foster parents are required to attend 80% of the training sessions to be kept informed and gain knowledge on how to work with special needs children. Foster parents are also required to maintain certification in First Aid, CPR and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention.
4. Therapy Foster parents can access the services of a therapist to recognise and understand the behaviours of a foster child in their home. 5. Support Workers
SLIDING SCALE PER DIEM
Depending on the child’s level of care, foster parents will have access to a Child and Youth Worker or Foster Family Support Worker to discuss behaviour management techniques or supports to benefit the foster child.
RockHaven believes in continuity of care and commitment to foster children. RockHaven also believes a foster parent should be compensated for their commitment and their gained experience; therefore RockHaven has adopted the sliding scale per diem. A new foster parent will start at $40/day/child and increase their per diem by $1/day/child for every year of experience gained and by actively participating in RockHaven training and support groups. There will be a cap of $50/day which is attained after ten years experience.
6. Supervisor The supervisor will have regular contact and visits with both the foster child and foster parents to monitor and assist in stabilizing and securing a placement. Foster families will have access to a contact representative of the agency for support and advice 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, in times of crisis. 7. Monthly Relief Each foster family will have at least one weekend of paid relief per month. 8. Vacation Each foster family will have two weeks of paid vacation a year.
The sliding scale is further explained in the Policy and Procedure manual.
308 Front Street North PO Box 190 Campbellford, ON K0L 1L0
Tel 705.632.0255 Fax 705.632.0259 info@rockhavecs.com