| |
Kinship Care/Family-Based
Services is the full-time nurturing and
protection of children who must be separated from their
parent(s) and temporarily placed in the home of a caregiver
who has an existing relationship with the child or the
child’s family. Family Care for Children & Youth
provides formal Kinship Care whereby the county has legal
custody of a child and has placed a child through
FCCY
with a formal Kinship Caregiver. The relationship between
the child and the caregiver must meet one of the following
characteristics:
-
Caregiver
is related to the child through blood or marriage
-
Caregiver is a godparent recognized by an organized
church
-
Caregiver is a member of the child’s tribe or
clan
-
Caregiver
has a significant and positional relationship with the
child or the child’s family
Under
a Kinship Care arrangement, it is
FCCY’s responsibility
to ensure that the child or youth is living in a safe,
need-fulfilling environment. Kinship Care focuses on the
development of the child in the present and in the future,
and great faith is placed in the ability of the young
person to move beyond past difficulties and develop a
more successful way of living. The best way to help our
clients achieve this is to place them with a Kinship Caregiver.
Advantages
for Children Placed in
Kinship Care/Family-Based
Service:
-
A Kinship Caregiver completes intensive training in
order to meet the special needs of the child/children
placed in his/her home. The minimum number of hours
of formal training is 24 in the first year of care and
20 hours for each Kinship Caregiver in each subsequent
year. In addition, FCCY offers six hours of training
in the fall and spring of each year and conducts monthly
orientation training for new families.
-
The
individual needs of each child are thoroughly addressed,
and Kinship Care arrangements are developed with the
needs of all involved parties in mind.
FCCY’s
team approach to Kinship Care helps the child move toward
reaching placement goals.
-
Children who live with a Kinship Caregiver are actually
part of the treatment process. Children are involved
in all family activities and community events as they
learn responsible behaviors and accept the responsibilities
associated with being a family member.
-
Children
who live with a Kinship Caregiver have the opportunity
to grow up and experience childhood with their Kinship
Caregivers, as do children who grow up with their biological/legal
families.
-
To
support the Kinship Care process,
FCCY implements Choice
Theory/Reality Therapy as a tool to help solve problems
and help children meet individual needs in a responsible
and need-fulfilling fashion.
-
Kinship Care offers many benefits including continuity
of family traditions, ongoing family connections, and
ongoing community involvement. The trauma of separation
is minimized, and there is an assurance that the child
will have a lifelong relationship with their caregivers.
-
Kinship
Care is the historic and natural way to support children
within their family system.
-
Kinship Care preserves significant attachments, identities,
and cultures.
-
Kinship
Care Caregivers, as members of an extended family system,
have a long-term commitment to the children in their
care.
-
Kinship
Caregivers, the children in their care, and the children’s
parents have value, dignity, and worth.
For
more details on Kinship Care/Family-Based Services or
for information on making your family a part of our program,
e-mail
FCCY today or call (570)
522-9790.
|
|
What We Do
|
Family-Based Services |
Family Reunification |
Kinship Care
Kinship Care Home Studies |
Independent
Living |
Emergency Shelter
Foster
Parenting |
Respite Care | Adoption Services
Foster Care |
Who We Are |
Employment
Opportunities
Locations |
Sitemap |
Resources
|
|
|
