Foster Parent Information
Foster Care Offers Hope
The goal for every child who comes to Hephzibah’s Foster Care Program is to start the healing process and prepare him or her for a return to family life with biological family members or in loving foster and adoptive homes. Sometimes, helping a child means finding a loving, caring, and safe environment outside of the home. Hephzibah’s foster parents are specially trained to provide the love, constancy, and support needed to help neglected and abused children heal and learn to trust again.
What to Expect as a Hephzibah Foster Parent
We surround our foster parents with the training and support they need to maintain a healthy, loving and caring relationship and home for all, including:
Potential Placements
Hephzibah will contact you when information about a potential child for your family becomes available based on your preferences identified during the home study process.
In most cases, the child moves to your home after several transition visits. When a child is placed in your home, a caseworker will have in-person contact with you and your child three times a month.
Communication
Hephzibah is committed to having open, honest, productive and respectful communications with all foster parents. Your input is welcomed and appreciated through our frequent phone and email communications, during home visits, at school and clinical staffings, at quarterly check-in meetings and at other appointments. All foster parents are considered integral members of our foster care team.
Participation
Your participation in your foster child’s services is critical. Your involvement in your child’s medical, psychiatric and therapy appointments; school meetings and events; family visits; quarterly check-in meetings; and other appointments is essential for your child’s healing and success.
Supportive Services
Caring for a child with a history of trauma is challenging. To support you and your family as you care for your foster child, we provide a wide array of supportive and therapeutic services, including individual and family therapy, overnight respite care, academic tutoring, educational and juvenile court advocacy, therapeutic mentoring, foster parent trainings, parent support groups, informal foster parent mentoring, family activities, day care assistance, medical and psychiatric referrals and 24/7 on-call emergency support.
Ongoing Training
Hephzibah offers ongoing group and online training opportunities. Books, DVDs and community training opportunities are also available. All Hephzibah foster parents are required to complete approximately 16 hours of training per year.
Financial Support
Depending on the age and level of the child’s needs, foster parents receive a monthly stipend to help cover the cost of the child’s housing, food, clothing, allowance, extracurricular activities, daily necessities and transportation costs. Monthly stipends range between $384 and $1,011.
License Monitoring
A social worker will meet with you to monitor your foster home license every six months, regardless of whether or not a child is currently placed in your home. The social worker will review licensing standards with you and discuss any additional concerns that you may have.
Foster Parent Resources
Accurate Biometrics (fingerprinting)
Chicago Area Families For Adoption (CAFFA)
Child Welfare League of America
DCFS Foster Parent Training Credit Approval Form (TCAF)
Foster Family Home Licensing Standards (Rule 402)
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
National Foster Parent Association
North American Council on Adoptable Children
Resources for Locating Primary Medical Care, Vision Care and Dental Care