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Tax I.D. 20-4151057
Christy Obie~Barrett
Executive Director
880 Beltline Road
Springfield, OR 97477
fax 541-343-2866

OUR MISSION:
To find loving, permanent families for every waiting foster child.

Foster Care

Foster parents play an essential role in providing temporary, safe, and nurturing homes to children when their parents are unable to care for them.

Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do to help children of Oregon State. We must remain ever vigilant to give our children the best care and support possible, while working to bring permanency and stability into their lives.


Why are children placed in foster care?
Children are placed in foster care either by order of a court (involuntary) or because their parents are willing to have them cared for temporarily outside the home (voluntary).

An involuntary placement occurs when a child has been abused or neglected (or may be at risk of abuse or neglect) by his or her parent or someone else in the household, or because a court has determined that the child is a "person in need of supervision" or a juvenile delinquent. The court orders the child removed from the home and determines the length of the placement.

A voluntary placement occurs when parents decide that they are temporarily unable to care for their child for reasons other than abuse or neglect. For example, the family is experiencing a serious medical, emotional, and/or financial problem. The parents sign a voluntary placement agreement that lists the responsibilities of the parents and the agency during the child's placement. In the case of a voluntary surrender, however, the parents voluntarily and permanently give up all parental rights and transfer "custody and guardianship" to an authorized agency.

What is the role of a foster parent?
As a foster parent, you are responsible for the temporary care and nurturing of a child who has been placed outside his or her own home. During a time of disruption and change, you are giving a child a home. At the same time, your role includes working with the caseworker and the child’s family so that the child can return home safely, when appropriate.

The role of the foster parent is to:

• Provide temporary care for children, giving them a safe, stable, nurturing environment.
• Cooperate with the caseworker and the child’s parents in carrying out a permanency plan, including participating in that plan.
• Understand the need for, and goals of, family visits and help out with those visits.
• Help the child cope with the separation from his or her home.
• Provide guidance, discipline, a good example, and as many positive experiences as possible.
• Encourage and supervise school attendance, participate in teacher conferences, and keep the child’s caseworker informed about any special educational needs.
• Work with the agency in arranging for the child’s regular and/or special medical and dental care.
• Work with the child on creating a Life Book – a combination of a story, diary, and scrapbook that can help children understand their past experiences so they can feel better about themselves and be better prepared for the future.
• Inform the caseworker promptly about any problems or concerns so that needs can be met through available services

What is a "permanency plan"?
As a foster parent, you are a continuing presence in the child's life. You are familiar with the child's personality and emotional and intellectual development since you care for him or her 24 hours a day.

Therefore, you can contribute valuable information about the child as you work closely with the caseworker/agency, participate in meetings about the child, and communicate with the parents. Foster parents are often the main source of information about how a child is adjusting to the separation from home, interacting with other children, and performing in school.

Even more important, you are a primary source of support for the child. When you have a positive, healthy relationship with your foster children, you help build their trust in adults. This helps prepare them for changes in their living situation that might be necessary to achieve their permanency goal. For example, they may return home or they may be adopted. As you continue to nurture the child day after day, you are helping to plan for his or her permanency.

Foster parents can help plan for permanency through parent-child visits, contacts with the caseworker, service plan reviews, court hearings and discharge activities.

What rights do foster parents have?
Foster parents have the right to:

• Accept or reject a child for placement in a foster home.
• Define and limit the number of children that can be placed in the foster home, within legal capacity.
• Receive information on each child who is to be placed in the foster home.
• Expect regular visits from the child’s caseworker to exchange information, plan together, and discuss any concerns about the child.
• Participate in regular conferences in the foster home to discuss the child’s plan every 90 days or less as required (whenever necessary in times of crisis or emergency).
• Receive notice of, and participate in Service Plan Reviews and Family Court permanency hearings on a child placed in their home.
• Receive training meeting the needs of children in care.
• Have their personal privacy respected

  Foster Care

  Foster care questions - A 22-page booklet addressing questions kids have about foster care.
  
  Make a difference...Foster & Adoptive Parenting (DHS 9510) English  |  A one page brochure summarizing the need, flexible requirements, financial issues, and contacts for more in-depth information.
  
  Make a difference....Become a Foster or Adoptive Family Inquiry Booklet (DHS 9507) - Twenty-four page booklet based on the most frequently asked questions about foster care and adoption; includes quotes from foster/adoptive parents and foster children/teens.
  
  Icebreakers...The first meeting between birth parents and foster parents - This explains the goal (to exchange information about the child’s needs soon after placement); guidelines; and roles and responsibilities of the foster parent, birth parent and caseworker/facilitator.

  Certification Standards for foster care, relative care and pre-adoptive families (March 2007, PDF)
  
  Team Decision Meetings - A one page brochure indicating when these meetings should take place (whenever a decision to move a child is being considered); who should attend; who benefits; meeting format, facilitation and follow up.
  
  Foster Parent Handbook....You make a difference - one child at a time (DHS 7902) - Foster parents determined topics and organization; DHS staff endorsed sharing best practices statewide and ensured that information complies with policy. The initial reference section is meant to be customized with local contact information about staff, foster parent supports and community resources (of which a working template in Word Perfect is available - see below)