Therapeutic Foster Home

Question: How long is a placement for therapeutic foster home?

Answer: Usually, there are foster families available immediately. These families have been screened and accepted beforehand. So, the only time involved is the time required for the necessary paperwork to flow through the bureaucratic network. That can happen within a few weeks.

Question: What is a "therapeutic home" for foster children? I have seen this before on here, but I don't know what it is.

Answer: We have another term for it in Alberta but essentially it's a foster home for children with really tough issues like severe RAD or other psychological or physical issues. Friends of ours have a 6 year old who was so badly traumatized in her birth home that she is still wearing diapers and has to wear a special body suit to stop her from smearing the poop everywhere. Foster parents in these homes need to be, first and foremost, extremely dedicated to the children. They receive extra training, extra funding for the children and extra financial supports to replace broken items, arrange for respite care and purchase any specialty items they may require to properly care for the children. I give the people who work in these situations all the credit in the world for what they do. I know I couldn't do it.

Question: therapeutic mentoring foster home? Exactly what is ths type of placement for youths? How does it work . please only serious answers, this is important to me

Answer: It works by providing young people with a safe place to live while they are working out some of their life problems. The mentoring part is about young people having someone around that they can rely on to behave properly, and to show them different ways of responding to their issues. All facilities like this have to have government permits when dealing with youth. A theraputic residence could be anything from a youth shelter to a hospital to a foster carer.

Question: How much does the average therapeutic foster parent make in NC? What is the foster parent expected to provide for in terms of care for the child? I know of a case right now where a 16 year old in a therapeutic home asked the parent for facial cleanser and was told "Im not obligated to buy that for you" This is the 2nd set of fosters from this agency and the first lady never bothered to show up for appts for the child ie doc,therapist team meetings etc So this child was moved to a older stricter foster parent who made the comment about the facial cleanser as this makes me question their intentions as a therapeutic parent.

Answer: If that's true, it's nasty. I think if someone has a true heart for kids in need, they're not in it for the money. When my three kids are grown, I would like for my husband and I to foster. I don't care if I'm paid for it or not, I just know that there are kids out there who would thrive in our family.

Question: Can therapeutic foster care be considered a medical expense? I have a son that has been diagnosed with RAD (Reactive attachment disorder) he has also has other severe behavioral issues. In 2007 the stress and pressure associated with raising a RAD child induced a break down in my wife which had her hospitalized for a month. The therapist and the phsyciatrist both stongly indicated that my son be seperated from my wife when she came home to heal. I tried to find residential treatment care for my son but there were not qualifying RAD treatment centers available. I had no choice but to place him in a RAD experienced foster care home at my own expense. My question is, can I claim this expense as a medical expense on my taxes?

Answer: I assume you can...when you place a parent in nursing home you can claim that expense and even put money towards it in an FSA account...RE: RAD its more common with foster children due to lack of bonding, I believe its a more "newer" psych disorder so it may be awhile before psych facilities catch up to it, its a big debate amongst the foster community whether those w/ RAD can be helped or not, due to damage to the psyche that the lack of bonding caused. Is your son adopted? My brother is autistic...my mother was able to place him with respite workers on weekends to give the family a "break." He continued going to them up to his 20's. The state provided assistance in that. In some extreme cases where private psych treatment was not available to a family due to lack of facilities, or absorbant cost, it was necessary to actually place the child in state custody in the fostercare system to allow the state to foot the bill. There was an article I had read, it had to be declared as abandonment by the state but its not an actual abandonment...somehow due to the situation the state had no legal term for it but the state officers were aware of the reality...the parents could no longer care for the child, and the kid needed way more treatment than they could afford. You would have to contact your local child services office for info. This is a last alternative and would be the most difficult for all parties, and met w/ very harsh opinions from varying parties. Its an unfortunate last effort in a system that ofttimes is not there to help the individual family w/ financial & emotional assistance. Or...even a family member who would be willing to train to take in an RAD child who could be certified as a foster parent in a private guardianship arrangement... Best wishes.

Question: Any families in San Jose interested in becoming Certified foster Families? Aspira recruits, trains, certifies and provides services to foster families and the children placed in their homes. Each year Aspira certifies approximately 300 foster parents for therapeutic care. We need families in San Jose and the surroundiang areas to care for these kids. If you are intersted in helping please e-mail Robert Robles at: [email protected] We will be hosting an Orientaition and training on Sat. July 21st from 9am to 4pm at: Emmanuel Baptist Church 467 N. White Rd. San Jose Ca. 95127

Answer: Thank you my husband and I have been considering it for some time.

Question: positive strategy for helping violent adolescents? A positive strategy for helping violent adolescents learn how to manage their anger, learn to responsibly care for themselves, and achieve in school is through: A) therapeutic foster care. B) a limited stay in an adult prison. C) an extended stay in a group home. D) a supervised school/work program.

Answer: c seems to be the best choice, imho.

Question: How does one go about the process of disowning a child in the US ? A follow-up to a question asked on this site previously - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080708172748AAs4Lup I noticed that only two or three individuals answered this question without bias (well, without as much bias). Perhaps instead of just reading the question you might read between the lines. I can sympathize 100% with this gentleman as I am now in the midst of a situation which rips my family apart day by day. I fought tooth and nail some five years ago to keep my ex-wife from gaining custody of my children. She had abused them both to the point where the ramifications were too dire for just TLC to rectify. My daughter, 9 years old now, has handled this all much better than my son, 8 years old. She is still in therapy and on a mild anti-depressant, but all in all has handled everything she's been through better than I could have wished for. My son on the other hand has not. He suffers from a yet to be truly diagnosed mental struggle. He has been in 'therapeutic' foster care for 22 months and has just come back home in the last 3 weeks. Our visits with him (my girlfriend, myself and daughter) were always wonderful. He listened well, talked back very little, and for the most part seemed cured. His visits with his mother and his behaviors at school and in the foster home were not as pleasant. His tantrums had gotten out of control, he listened to nearly no one most of the time, and fought with anyone who would not agree with him on so much as the slightest things (accused a chair of tripping him as if the chair could have willfully done so, screamed at the teacher when she tried to explain that chairs don't move themselves...) Now, since he's been home, it's been one fiasco after another. At his mother's, during their visits, she feeds the children propaganda to try to turn them against us. My daughter sees through it and merely rolls with the punches, never arguing with her mother, but my son has a knack for taking everything as the word of God. Between her mind-games and his condition, his behavior and lies have escalated to new levels. After coming home this weekend (his Grandma picked the kids up from their visit to spend some time with them) my daughter brought it to my attention that my ex had called Child Protective Services (hot-lined me). She noticed a bruise on his arm and asked how he got it. He replied that I had done it (though gave no detail as to how) so CPS was contacted. When the worker arrived, it was discovered that the bruise was in fact brown marker he had colored on himself with as the worker wiped the ink away. In the same instance, my son informed CPS that my Grandmother (who hadn't picked him up yet and had only seen him twice since he's been home) pulled on his ear and made it bleed. Just a couple days prior he had informed me that his brother (my ex's son with her new man) had pulled his ear. When asked about it that night (after CPS had come and gone and he'd come home) he said his mother had been the one to pull his ear. My daughter informed me that she hadn't seen, but believed it was possible as she had pulled and twisted her own ear (my daughter's) because she wasn't moving fast enough in a store. WTF is my point, you may be asking. This is nothing, this is a cakewalk so far. But his lies and his mother's influence are making him a more and more volatile force with each visit. Some day soon he's going to fall on the playground and get a real bruise. When Mommy sees is (while observing her 8 year old son disrobe and shower) she's going to call CPS again when he says I really did it this time. Then, when they come to take him from me, they'll take my daughter as well as they aren't the types to leave a child in a home where they believe abuse is afoot. So, perhaps in the future we might read between the lines and just answer the questions if we know them. For instance, in the United States of America, what would be some resources for a family about to fall apart to find a good home, one without other children at risk of losing their parents as well, a home where they might find all the things they are lacking in their current home for their unmanageable child to live? I love my son, I love him dearly, but I also love the rest of my family as well and he is destroying what is left of it day by day. I've tried therapeutic foster care, I've tried working with CPS, I'm still utilizing therapy and still I see NO results. In fact we are going backwards now as he gets worse and worse with each new line from Mom. CPS nor the courts will do anything about her behavior and habits around the children as I've already pursued that course. I am at a loss and I am sure my friend who left the question in reference above is as well and am simply looking for someone who knows the inner-workings of the courts in the United States of America to point me in the right direction. First off, thank you daqulynn for answering honestly and respectfully. I only want to reiterate my simple request for answers to this question. I haven't given up hope, I'm not running to the court house to disown my son tomorrow, but I'm also not letting him bring my entire family down. I love him, as I said, I love him dearly, and I do go to therapy with him. As I said, I am doing everything in my power, but I cannot remove the one influence that holds him back and I do not want my daughter to suffer for my son's actions or those of the woman behind them. Thank you for all your kind words and insight (those who offered). My son is seeing two doctors, one for therapy and the other to monitor/adjust his medications. As I said, i am involved as are the rest of my household. I don't have money for the good lawyers and the public attorney I do have is little more than worthless. The foster home was recommended by CPS and the first home he was in was actually VERY good. They ran into a situation where my son wouldn't leave their dog alone and the dog was getting agitated, snapping at him. Long story short, he was off to a new home. This couple, while their hearts were in the right place, were not ready. Anyhow, I thank you all again and will hope for the best.

Answer: Your between a rock and a hard spot friend, the court system regarding child welfare in the US is dismal at best. they'll strangle you in red tape before you end up strangling the kid in most cases, sounds like you seriously need a lawyer specializing in these things, lord knows you've already spent a small fortune in custody and therapy let alone foster care, sure hope momma drama is paying half, if not she should be, another good reason for a lawyer,

Question: how to get emancipated? Well my name is July and I really need some advice... I'll tell you my story I am 15 and I have had a lot of abuse, when I was 8 my parents divorced and I moved with my mom, she later married a husband who sexually abused me and raped me every time he got the chance, and my mom had become very abusive herself, she would hit me, and lock me in empty rooms, I would go days without eating, and she had tried to drown me and was very emotionally abusive, she used to tell me no one wanted or loved me and everything would be better without me and lots of other styff, so I finally told my school counselor about my step dad and what he was doing to me and a little about my mom, and the police took me that night and put me in a shelter where I stayed for about 3 days, then my dad came and picked me up and my mom disowned me and told me she wanted nothing to do with me and said that i ruined her and her husbands life and did not believe me about him at all... then when I moved in with my dad his wife and I did not get along at all, she would blame everything on me and treated me very bad compared to her kids, and she would tell my dad lies to get me in trouble and I would end up getting grounded from everything even reading and writing and talking everything, Me and her also have got in many fights like actual fights, so I moved in with my grandparents, after a little while he started to sexually abuse me and kept trying to make me have sex with him, I waited about 2 monthes before I finally said something... no body believed me and said I was trying to tare apart the family and they dropped me off at a friend of the family and I stayed there for a little while... then I ended up going into therapeutic foster care, because my parents had made up lies and made it look like there was something wrong with me, and so I stayed in there for a little while, but thy finally decided that i did not need that type of care... and so they put me in regular foster care, and I was going to get adopted by a family that I was staying with before so I moved back in with them, but one day they were out in Vegas and I left without asking and spent the night at my boyfriends house and they got really mad and decided not to adopt me and were kicking me out, and cps was going to come and move me again so I got scared and ran away and was gone for 2 days before the police found me and now they are talking about maybe putting me in a group home or something, and I might be considered a run away now... so is there anything I can do to get emancipated when I turn 16 pretty soon, please help me this means alot to me right now And, I am gonna get a job when I am 16 and hopefully I can be emancipated by 17 I understand its gonna be alot of work, but I dont want to hear I cant do it, I just need all the information I can get, cuz I am gonna give myself about a year and i know i can do it if i try hard enough

Answer: I am sorry, but you have no chance of being emancipated. In order to do that you would have to have a job and your own home, and be capable of supporting yourself. You can be removed from your home, though, and placed into a foster home where you will be cared for. To do this, contact Child Protective Services and tell them what you have told us. Good luck.

Question: Would this be considered felony kidnapping? What about aiding and abetting? A friend told me a shocking story. She was out of town with a woman who's a new human svcs wkr, & the woman (who lives 2 counties away) had to drive her home. On the way, this wkr picked up clients, two boys 8 & 5, she was to be working with, but was meeting for the 1st time that day. They were in foster care, after a traumatic early life. Anyway, this wkr decides to use their therapeutic time to drive friend home, an 80 mi. highway trip. Boys have no clue where they're going, keep asking questions, get worried & scared because wkr won't respond (no seat belts, BTW). Older boy starts crying. He can tell they're leaving the county. Friend thinks thinks this is all wrong, but doesn't insist on turning back. Freaked out boys threaten to call an uncle on their cell phone, but it's dead. They get to destination, give one boy fast food (other's too upset), then wkr takes them home, late, & lies to worried foster parent. Foster mom questions boys, sees out of town food receipt, wkr fired. This sounds like kidnapping to me, especially on worker's part. Am I right? And what about the friend? Is she equally culpable?

Answer: Wrong, messed up, immoral, maybe illegal but not kidnapping. She didnt keep them, didnt hurt them, just didnt do anything. She deserves to be fired, and maybe thrown in jail for a month or to, stripped of the ability to work with children but not thrown in jail for a felony. There are real criminals who hurt people not just scare them, for an hour by being quiet. Very wrong, immoral, irresponsible and deserves punishment but not felony kidnapping.

Question: Why is it that everyone has to be so weak Minded? I recently answered some questions on here and was a bit annoyed at some of the other answers given, and the fact that they were rated so high. Since when is getting in a verbal argument with your significant other abuse? Since when does cheating on a spouse and then being a little wary she will do the same count as abuse? This is NOT abuse. If I go out back and break a limb off a tree and beat you with it until you stop breathing, that is abuse. It just seems to me that everyone these days are so quick to jump on the bandwagon of peace, but only when it suits them. I am sick of people babying everything. "Oh no, little jimmy mouthed off to his dad and got smacked in the mouth he must be being abused! Let's take him away from his rightful parents and put him into various foster homes where he will probably be abused in other ways his father never thought of! Yeah!" Total Nonsense. Why is everyone turning into such a pansy puff? Where did our cajones migrate to that we are all now a bunch of weak sauce little girls? Back in the day, my parents day (and their parents day, and their parents day, and their....) you knew that if you acted like an ***hole you got smacked like one, and kids (for the most part) were respectful. Nowadays, well, let's just say the other day I saw a little kid throw a box of cereal at his mother and yell "F*** you!" at the top of his lungs. The circle of abuse is crap. Either the guy (or girl) is an ***hole or he isn't. That simple. Either you stay and tolerate it like an idiot, or you don't. I know, I get it, he's bigger than you. But a shotgun loaded with rocksalt is bigger than him, so don't expect me to feel to bad for your lack of initiative and creativity. 12 step programs are crap. These hand holding pansy fests are the worst. People in these "therapeutic" sessions actually go off to score crack just so the people in group the next week will feel sorry for them and they can cry and be dramatic. Drug addicts are drama whores and something to be spit on, not rehabilitated. Because they'll never rehabilitate themselves until they want to. Only they can stop themselves, And as long as you provide them with the negative attention they crave, they'll continue to do it. I think it's time to stop worrying about a kid's self esteem. I think it's time to stop catering to drug addicts and lazy people of any race. I think we should pull welfare and free insurance from the books and let the cream rise and the dirt sink and be washed away. This is America, this is Earth. You want something, you put the work into it and take it, don't expect free handouts. I am quite sick of this, what do you think?

Answer: It's all about control and boundaries. How do you instill respect. I didn't respect my pansy**s mother, but boy I sure respected my Drill Sergeants. I used to have my kids do push ups and sit ups until something was innocently said to a friend, overheard by a teacher, and a 'social worker' came out and said that I was being abusive. I personally can't wait for this society to fail, that way, as you so eloquently put it, the dirt will wash away. That's going to be one hell of a cleansing. Until then, my friend, all we can do is dream of better days. Oh, and this isn't a race, abuse, or woman's suffrage issue. This is about whether or not you want to live in a respectful society such as what we used to have.

Question: therapeutic mentoring foster home? Exactly what is ths type of placement for youths? How does it work . please only serious answers, this is important to me my son has a behavior problem and its got ten him in alot of trouble but instead of putting him into confinment they are putting him in one of these homes to see if this treatment works..............he has adhd and is very impulsive

Answer: You haven't given enough information for me to understand what you are asking.

Question: therapeutic mentoring foster home? Exactly what is ths type of placement for youths? How does it work . please only serious answers, this is important to me Julie id like to hear more............

Answer: this is a home for youth of the same gender who lives together in the same house... there are mentors coming to the house everyday and give you orders to follow... just like if it was your parents... anyways if you want to go in one of does... good luck... they are gonna give you a hard time and also they will brainwash you... and this is a serious answer... cause ive been in one of those foster homes...