Foster Parent Services

Caring for Kids, Inc. helps foster parents meet the needs of the children in their care by providing pre-service training as well as continued training after placement has occurred.  Our professionals assess each foster parent’s training needs and provide training opportunities that best fulfill those needs.

Pre-Service Training 
Prior to home study approval and before placement can occur, pre-service training is provided to all future foster parents.  This training will include Caring for Kids’ policies and procedures as well as the following topics: 

• • The foster care system/process

  • Separation and loss

  • Dealing with behavioral challenges

  • Cultural issues

  • Caring for a child that has been sexually abused

Continued Training
Caring for Kids also provides regular, ongoing training for foster parents through a program we call P.L.A.Y. (Positive Learning for Adults and Youth).  

Held the second Tuesday of every month from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., P.L.A.Y. consists of dinner, training for foster parents, and activities for children.  

Dinner is provided at 6:00 p.m. to everyone in attendance, including foster children, foster families, trainers, and volunteers.  

At 6:30 p.m. training for foster parents will begin, during which time foster, adopted, and other children are able to play games, make crafts, shoot hoops, bounce in an inflatable house, or work on homework.  

If you are interested in participating in this free training program, we ask that you please call or email us monthly to register. 

Certification Renewal
Foster care certifications must be renewed every two years, and at Caring for Kids we help foster parents through this process.  Three to four months before the expiration of a foster care certificate Caring for Kids will provide the following services:

• • Send the required materials for recertification
  • Conduct a safety audit of the foster parent’s home
  • Update the foster parent’s homestudy
  • Verify that foster parents are on track for completing the required training hours and courses necessary to become recertified

At the end of a two-year certification, social workers from Caring for Kids will coordinate with a recertification assessor to determine each foster parent’s individual training needs.  Based on the results of the assessment, each foster parent will receive a written plan that specifies all of the training required to renew their certification.  

If you have further questions or would like additional information regarding the services Caring for Kids provides for foster parents or the certification process, please feel free to Contact us.  We are always happy to take your calls and/or e-mails!