Special Needs Resource Directory

 

Foster Care

The Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers resources and information to those interested in becoming a foster parent to a child with special health care needs.

What's Involved | Ohio Requirements | Types | Steps l Considerations / Transitions l Advocating l Understanding Roles l Medical Appointments / Therapies l Tools and Resources l Local Agencies

What's Involved

Being a foster parent to a child with special health care needs involves:

  • Providing care for children whose emotional or physical disorders, age, race, membership in a sibling group, a history of abuse, or other factors contribute to a lengthy stay in foster care.
  • Children have an increased likelihood of serious medical conditions, emotional and behavioral disorders, history of abuse of neglect, medical or genetic risk due to familial mental illness or parental substance abuse.
  • The amount of commitment needed to care for these children is much greater than that required for a healthy, typically developing child.
  • Foster parents must be emotionally strong and stable.
  • Foster parents need to be willing to advocate for the child's needs.
  • Available support system (significant other, relative, or other adults) is needed to provide an emotional support to the foster parent and child care.

To become a foster parent for a special needs child, you must be willing to:

  • Attend frequent medical meetings and therapies
  • Learn about the child's medical problems and treatment
  • Become an advocate for the child's needs
  • Become a stay-at-home parent
  • Possibly have involvement with the child's biological family

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Ohio Requirements

In Ohio, to be a foster parent you must:

  • Be at least 21 years of age
  • Have sufficient income to meet the basic needs of your household
  • Be in good physical, emotional and mental health and have no criminal record for violent crimes, sexual crimes or any crimes against children
  • Attend 33 hours of pre-service training and meet the continuing education requirements, 40 hours every two years
  • Can be single, married, separated, divorced or unmarried co-parents
  • Can rent or be a home owner
  • No religious affiliation is required

As a potential foster parent, you should:

  • Be extremely aware of what your own family can handle. Because of the shortage of foster families, the system tends to overload existing families
  • Have an atmosphere of trust within your own family
  • Be aware of the child's needs: Are you able to adequately meet these needs?
  • Consider how the child fits into your family and your home
  • Make sure your house is compatible for the care of the child

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Types of Foster Care

Types of foster care can vary from region to region. Please contact your county for more information about the various areas of foster care.

For a complete listing of the types of foster care, along with a brief description of each, visit the Foster Parenting section of Adoption.com.

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Steps to Becoming a Foster Parent

The steps to become a licensed foster parent include:

  1. Contacting a local agency for foster care
  2. Training -- You will attend 33 hours of pre-service training. Additional medical or behavioral training may be needed for children with special needs
  3. Application -- You complete and sign a foster care application
  4. Fingerprinting -- You and any adult members of your household will be fingerprinted for a criminal background check
  5. Home study -- Includes interviews of all household members, fire inspection, home safety audit, reference checks, credit check and medical examination
  6. Licensing -- The state issues a foster parent license
  7. Placement -- The first foster child is placed in your home

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Considerations and Transitions

Here are the considerations for a child coming into placement. These children are likely to have:

  • Emotional and behavioral issues due to circumstances prior to placement and due to family separation
  • Few coping and social skills
  • Developmental issues

Transitions for the Child

All children go through a transitional / adjustment period regardless of underlying mental health problems

Welcoming a Child

  • Age appropriate
  • Important that the child feels like part of the home
  • Do not try to compete with birth family as a "parent."  Consider alternative titles for foster children to address foster parents, such as "Mom + first name" or "Miss + first name."  It is important for the foster child to understand the role of a parent as protective and nurturing. 
  • Be aware of racial and cultural differences, and try to incorporate the child's culture into your own.
  • Children also need their own space and belongings
  • This could include giving the child their own blanket, a bed or putting their picture on the mantle
  • Lifebooks: a very valuable resource that foster parents can create for their foster children. It becomes very important to a child, and can include anything from medical records, to school pictures, to awards and photographs.
  • Visit Fosterparenting.com for additional tips and information on preparing for a child.

Saying Goodbye to a Child

  • Understand that foster care is often temporary, meaning that the child will return to the birth family or be put up for adoption
  • Talk about the court plans openly
  • Give the child time to adjust to the idea of leaving
  • Be prepared to give then something to take with them (a blanket, clothes, or a lifebook)
  • For additional tips on saying goodbye to a child, visit FosterParenting.com.

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Advocating

As a foster parent for a child with special needs, you will be become his / her advocate. Advocating for a child with special needs includes:

  • Locating a health care provider who takes the Medicaid card
  • Choosing a primary care provider who is available and willing to advocate
  • Developing a close relationship with the caseworker and knowing their supervisor. Make sure that they protect you from the burden of policing the birth family
  • Knowing your child's court appointed guardian-ad-litem
  • Attending and participating in medical appointments which may include: primary medical care, medical sub-specialties, dental, mental health, and therapies – occupational, physical, and speech
  • Carrying the placement packet and keeping records organized. Obtain as much information as possible on past medical, dental, developmental, immunization, and mental health records, as well as the child's former foster homes

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Understanding Roles

During the process of becoming a foster parent, you'll interact with a variety of child care professionals. It's important to understand the roles of each person:

County Worker (Case Worker)

The County Worker, or Case Worker, is responsible for:

  • Placing the child
  • Monthly visits with the child in the foster home
  • Arranging family visitation and transportation
  • Developing case plan for approval by the court detailing family requirements
  • Assumes primary responsibility to properly investigate and communicate all medical and psychosocial issues to the prospective family in a timely manner

County Supervisor

The County Supervisor is the immediate supervisor of the county worker. If you cannot contact or do not feel comfortable with the county worker, they will become an important resource. The County Supervisor also provides Medical Consent for routine procedures and medical care.

Country Section-Chief

The County Supervisor's supervisor, who provides consent for non-routine or major medical procedures.

GAL (Guardian ad litum)

A GAL (Guardian ad litum) is a person that represents the sole interest of the child in court. Some are volunteers, public defenders or private attorneys.

Magistrate

A Magistrate is a judge who ultimately makes the legal decisions related to custody, visitation issues and other safety issues.

Case Aid

The Case Aid transports the child to and from visits with their biological family. The Case Aid also supervises family visits.  Transportation to and from, as well as supervision of the visits are the county's responsibility.

Medical Doctor's Office

The Medical Doctor's Office helps to:

  • Obtain and deal with the child's medical history
  • Provide consistency in the child's life, which may be unstable due to changing environments between homes
  • Make recommendations to the Department of Job and Family Services and the court about medical and safety issues

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Foster Parent Participation in the Child's Medical Appointments and Therapies

There are many important benefits to participating in a foster child's medical appointments and therapies, including:

  • Foster parents need to be able to convey information about the child's needs to various doctors, to the caseworker, and to the biological family.
  • It is important for the foster parent to learn about the special needs of the child from direct communication with and education from medical professionals about the child's special needs.
  • Provides the opportunity for the parent to communicate issues and learn to carry out the doctor's orders
  • Appointments and therapies may have "homework." The foster parent needs to understand how to carry out what they learned in their own home.

Foster Parent Limits: How to Protect Yourself

  • Understand that some mediations and medical procedures require county approval
  • If you do not know how to handle a situation and are unable to contact the case worker, an agency representative is always available
  • Place the child's safety first
  • Utilize and work with additional support services that may be required (such as skilled nursing or aides, and behavioral therapists or aides)
  • Remember that foster families are under the same legal scrutiny as biological families when it comes to neglect, abuse and non-compliance. Foster parents must be willing and able to meet all parenting and medical needs of a foster child in their care.
  • Due to the nature of foster care a new or existing child's needs may be incompatible with the other children in the home. This is an important issue to pay attention to for the benefit of all children and the entire family. 

Biological Family

  • Foster parents should work to resolve any conflicts. If there are issues that cannot be solved, call the caseworker and guardian.
  • Make sure to document any conflicts
  • Visitations: The county will set them up with the family. Foster parents are responsible to make the foster child available for visitations, but should also advocate for the child's needs.
  • Foster parents have a responsibility to make sure the visits are held in a safe, neutral environment and that they will not be detrimental to the child's health
  • They should make sure the family understands the child's health care needs, such as the medicine (dosage, times) and machines
  • Sometimes the frequency or intensity of a child's behavior can increase after visitation or phone contact.

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Tools and Resources

Information for Foster Youth

  • FosterClub is a national network for youth in foster care. This site has excellent resources for youth in foster care, including:
    • Entering Foster Care
    • Message Board
    • Topical information about things like foster families, court, your caseworker and the agency, school, friends and relationships, health, and leaving foster care.

Information for Foster Parents

  • Fosterparenting.com provides information about:
    • Types of foster care
    • Foster parent concerns
    • Foster child concerns
    • Money considerations
    • Tools and resources
    • Support and more
  • National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) is a national organization which strives to support foster parents and to be a strong voice on behalf of all children. This site contains information on:
  • Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has a fact sheet on foster care.
  • Ohio Family Care Association (OFCA) is an organization of families who adopt children, provide foster care or give kinship care. The purpose of OFCA is to support these families through programs of education, support, advocacy and leadership.

Support Groups

Throughout the country, there are many helpful support groups for foster parents. These are affiliated with religious groups, schools or local organizations.

Financial Reimbursement

In Ohio, reimbursement for foster parents can range from $9/day to $60/day, based on the child's needs and type of foster parenting offered.  Depending of the child's needs some foster families incur additional out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care. Medically related items that are not covered by Medicaid are the financial responsibility of the county.

Training and Education

Foster parents must have annual training and licensing, some of which is available online and through the licensing agency.

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Local Foster Care Agencies

There are many foster care agencies in the Southwest Ohio area. These include:

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Contact Us

If your questions are not fully answered by our Special Needs Resource Directory and its links, please contact us via email.

Rev. 5/08