The Stuff No One Really Sees

I hired a number of caseworkers during my tenure at DCFS. Most are still there, but today I have two girls in my home that are on the caseload of K.B. (I'm not sure I should use her name without her permission)...KB called me at 8p tonight; she needed to re-schedule our home visit because she just met with one of her new foster families for two hours and she wanted to know if she could come tomorrow instead. So, of course I rescheduled with her....

Many people who criticize DCFS workers never know of the committment they have for their work. Real Social Workers, like KB, love children, believe in families, have integrity and learn how to balance justice and mercy. I am very proud of the workers in Western Region...and the administration who guide and serve with them. I am proud to still be peripherally connected to them as a trainer for the foster parents they place children with.

Child Welfare is a TOUGH job and anyone who can stick with it deserves way more than they currently get from the legislature, the press and the nay-sayers.

She's 13 today!

So, today is the 13th birthday of one of 'my girls'. I asked her today if she thinks her mom is thinking about her. She said, 'what mom?' and I replied "Your birth mom! The mom who gave birth to you." She shrugged. I excitedly said, "Oh, I'm sure she is! You were her first born, she'll never forget this day!" My 13 yr old smiled and asked, 'You think she'll remember me because I was her first baby?". "ABSOLUTELY!" I smiled back.

Last Friday (13th) we had a party at Classic Skating, and I paid for 13 kids to skate and celebrate with us. I videotaped it. I've got her doing the Hokey Pokey with the rest of the skating crowd! I met two of her sisters I had never met before. I was so grateful that these other foster parents (of my kids' siblings) took time out of their lives to share this important day with us.

But today is her actual birthday. My parents sent her 13 crisp dollar bills and she opened that card today. She said, "They even smell new"! She doesn't want to fold them! One of her foster sisters gave her a really cute pink tie-dyed shirt with a giant peace sign on it; which she chose to wear to church. That's cool. You only turn 13 once. And at least she's GOING to church!!

Do you know what she wants to do with the $13? She wants to go to a store and buy everyone in our home their favorite candy bar. Well, I don't say 'no way' often, but I certainly nixed that idea. I want her to spend it on herself. So, she then decided to save 1/2 of it in her bank account and keep the other 1/2 available for reckless spending! :) That I am okay with.

Today I am thinking about her birth mom...is she thinking "I wonder if my baby is happy... I wonder if she is thinking about me? I wonder what she looks like...I wonder....". I will keep her in my prayers today.

Does that birth mom cry on this day? I absolutely will go to my grave believing that she knows what day this is and is thinking about her daughter, who is in my home today, who will be having pot roast, potatoes, corn, rolls and choc chip cookies for dinner, who loves to dance, who loves animals, Miley Cyrus, scary movies and flamin' hot crunchy cheetos....she needs a forever two parent family and I know she is close to getting one!

It's All About the Children...

I talk about it in almost all 8 classes I teach each month, I have guest speakers who reiterate in the telling of their story (Aymee and Stevoni both) that they made choices based on what was best for their kids, not convenient for (or even EXPECTED of) them (as parents). But when the light bulb turns on for me, it isn't 100 watts of understanding. For me, it's a dimmer switch which week by week gets a little brighter.
Today was one of the BEST days I've ever had as a foster mom. It's an uncomplicated answer to a desperate prayer..."God, help me to not take it personally." And I keep the brain tape in loop mode saying: "It's not about you, Nancy, it's about them!" "It's not about you, Nancy, it's about her."
Whatever may tick me off as a foster parent, is NOT directed at me(I know this cognitively, but emotionally...well, I'm human) These kids are working through a bunch of garbage with years of stench built in. They don't trust me yet (and they SHOULDN'T!)...but if I try to 'get even with' a child who is pushing my buttons...well, that's my issue. I don't need to retaliate against a 7 yr old who has years of abuse she is dealing with. I need to hug her, kiss her cheek, stroke her hair and read to her, tickle her, give her choices and praise. I'm getting it! This feels right!

My two oldest girls (13 & 16) went to a youth group meeting at church tonight. They both were wearing zip up sweat shirts (which is very rare...you know teens, they are too cool for sweaters and coats) and so I asked to see what they had on under it. They both had spaghetti strap shirts....not real appropriate for the meeting they were going to. But they already knew that, (that's why they had on sweat shirts, right?!).... so I let them go with their word that they would keep the sweatshirts ON. They both gave me their word. So, we'll see how THAT goes :) But I also know it isnt about pulling one over on the foster mom, it's just that they are teen girls going to a meeting where there will be teen boys. It's not about me. It's about them! And they're AWESOME. : )

My open question to you: Should I insist my teens change their clothes to something more appropriate for the situation, or should I let peer pressure do the parenting for me? I have to pick my battles, right? but I also have to 'parent'.... which means TEACH, MODEL, TEACH, APOLOGIZE...

Share a little Care Giving With Your Caseworkers, too!

It's getting tougher to keep up with this but I will do my best.
Two new girls moved in a week ago, so I have two sets of sibling girls! They are (so far) great for each other; they each have someone to play with; take walks with, ride scooters with :)

There's twice as much to think about with another sibling set; but I have a great caseworker with this second set of sisters. (I actually hired her when I worked at DCFS a number of years ago!) She returns emails very timely. I know she enjoys carmel & chocolate dipped pretzel rods, so I made her two on the night she dropped off the girls. I promise, it doesn't hurt to take care of the caseworkers you work with. DCFS in Utah is pretty broke these days (as many government agencies are, nationwide)...the supervisors there have no funding to buy bikes for their kids, let alone give a worker a $50 'pat-on-the-back' for a job well done. It will serve you well, if you can send them a note of 'thanks' a couple times a year (Mothers Day or Fathers Day and any other time you think of it). Get to know your caseworkers; what motivates them (dipped pretzels?) a note from one of 'their kids' (one of the kids on their caseload); a school picture, an invitation to a graduation, etc.

My first 'i love you, Nancy' ....

It was just a day...nothing special...she's 7 years old and she was walking through the garage to get into my truck and she just turned to me and said, 'i love you, Nancy'. She's one of the bravest kids I've ever met. She's a survivor of a horrible abuse...and she can still love! And she chose to share some of it with me. Sometimes, she blows me away....

The Foster Roster

The Foster Roster is the monthly newsletter created by the Utah Foster Care Foundation to share resources, upcoming events and trainings, recognitions, policy updates, legislative decisions and even contests. It is one way Utah has found to keep foster parents connected with each others' successes, interests and challenges. Beginning in July 2009 it became an every-other-month mailed publication (on the even-numbered months) and an online updated version on odd-numbered months. It is only mailed to currently LICENSED foster homes.

There are five regions in Utah (Northern, Salt Lake Valley, Western, Eastern and South Western); each region develops it's own six pages (well, three pages front and back) and then the state news is added to the end of that, two pages front and back. It is always mailed out on purple paper (the signature color of the UFCF); so it is easily recognizable when it's delivered.

This publication is really the baby of the Retention department of the UFCF; although the regional trainers have a significant responsibility. It is always available online for anyone to see, located at www.utahfostercare.org just click on the purple Foster Roster button.

I received my first copy today, as a licensed foster parent...I read it from cover to cover! :)

Available Supports to Utah Foster Parents

Even though confidentiality can be an emotional burden, it is first and foremost a necessity to protect the children and the families DCFS serves. As a new foster parent I am finding that I need a safe venting mechanism...but I can not go to my typical resources because they are not 'cleared' . So, this morning I had the chance to tell my kids' therapist a little of my woes and an update on how the kids are doing in my home. A few nights ago I expressed my doubts and insecurities during a class, as an example of 'grief and loss and attachment'....which was the topic being covered that night. Afterwards, I thanked my class for my '3 minute therapy session' and they all laughed. But they gave me a huge lift with their comments and 'atta-girls' which I was needing and so appreciative of.

I have a couple of close friends who I would love to vent to, but I've signed a Confidentiality agreement and that is prohibited if I want to keep my license, and I do! So, what else is offered to me by DCFS to help keep a newbie parent like me SANE? Here are a few things:

1- use your RFC (Resource Family Consultant); they are social workers at DCFS assigned to support the placement

2-use the child's therapist as a support (minimally, but if you talk to them weekly they'll get another perspective of how things are going in the home)

3- other foster parents who may have the sibs of the kids in your home (in my case I have 2-3 other foster parents I can talk to, vent with, share babysitting or respite days with).

4- UFAFA (pronounced "You-fah-fah") it's the Utah Foster Adoptive Family Association and the state rep is Stephanie Ellis (stephanieellis6@msn.com) . Stephanie has a decade or more of foster care experience and can really be an advocate when you feel lost, angry, or burned out.

5- ATTEND INSERVICE TRAININGS with your CLUSTER!! Because you need 12 hrs a year of continued training to keep your foster parent license current, it is wise to attend a few of these trainings each year. You will get to know those in your cluster (your geographical area, for the most part)...that means there may be other foster parents who are more experienced than you who have 'been there' and can talk you off the ledge :) when you need it. And it builds a commraderie when you hang out with others who are doing the same type of generous, self-less exhausting, work which you're doing.

6- DCFS has partnered with others in the community to preserve and nurture their resource families (aka: foster families). But along with that, at least in the Western Region of Utah, is something called the Foster Care Council. It was created to assist foster families with any problems they have (including the opportunity to VENT; especially if other resources haven't been useful). But either word hasn't gone out about it's availability very well, or foster parents are afraid to use it thinking they may be 'black listed' (which would NOT happen, this counsel is a SAFE place) for complaining. Appointments can be made to be on the agenda monthly, by calling the front desk (801-374-7005, then press 1).

7- And lastly, a pilot program is being re-visited, tentatively a Foster Parent Mentor Program, which will link an experienced foster parent with a newly licensed foster parent to help them through the legal maze, the acronyms, and the venting sessions (among other things)! It's not yet up and running, but hopefully it will be soon. It's a great idea and it doesn't surprise me at all that DCFS is working to get this going.

With that said, foster care in Utah is still run by a state government agency (we are not privatized) and things (like programs) take time to build correctly, to manage well, to collect data on, and to adapt when adaption is needed. And all of those things take money and money is in short supply thanks to our Utah legislatures who cut funding to support human services. We just need to recruit a couple of legislatures to be foster parents and we'd have an ally for life. Hmmmmm, there's a challenge for someone to take on.... :)

Reimbursement Rates

Foster Parents in Utah who take kids from DCFS are reimbursed (not 'paid') by DCFS each month. The amount varies from $14 a day on up to about $24 a day, and it all depends on the age of the child and their behaviors.

DCFS uses a 3 page form called the Level of Care form to determine the behaviors of the child. The behaviors to be reviewed are from the previous 6 months. This form should be reviewed about every six months to determine how the child is progressing in the foster home. The levels are titled "Basic" "Specialized" and "Structured". ..the age breakdown in each level is 0-11, 12-15 and 16+...so there are three levels and three age categories in each level.

There is also something called "Medically Fragile", which is for kids with serious medical needs(or therapeutic issues in some cases). Examples of medical needs might be a child who is a burn victim and needs regular trips to the UofU burn unit to care for the wounds, or a child who has spina bifida, heart monitors or oxygen for babies born addicted to drugs...these things most likely will qualify a child for the 'medically fragile' code which means $10 a day more than whatever reimbursemet rate they initially qualify for. IE: If you get a baby who was born addicted to drugs, they fall within Level 1 = Basic = $14 a day, plus medically fragile = $10 a day for a total of $24 a day for the care of this child.

There is special training by the nurse/hospital caring for this child which the foster parents will be expected and encouraged to learn before they are released from the hospital. Afterall, knowing how to run a feeding tube, or heart monitor is not something you learn as you go along!

Since these reimbursements are not 'payments', they are not taxed. So if you have a Basic Level child at $14 a day, for 30 days you'll get a check for $420 a month, no taxes deducted. That covers their room, board, allowance if you offer it, hair cuts, other ammenities (basic hygiene things). Now, the one thing that MUST BE DEDUCTED FROM THAT $420 is $41 for new clothing every month. Please talk to your tax preparer for your year end tax questions.

If you have further questions about this short discussion, ask me in 'comments' and I'll get back with you on the details as soon as possible.

09/09/09 My first day as a foster parent!

Today I rec'd a call asking me to consider a sibling set of 2 girls, ages 7 and 12. I met them today I showed them my house and we drove by the schools they'll attend...and they will move in after school tomorrow!
Because of confidentiality I can not discuss any identifying information; or the issues that brought them into DCFS custody. Suffice it to say I will be working reunification with a parent and when the judge say's he/she has met minimum requirements of the goals they've set with DCFS, that's when the girls will go home. So the first day of my full time, temporary parenting experience is on 09/09/09!! Pretty cool.

Well Traineed Staff: Example

If you read the post just before this one, you probably sensed my angst re: having to say 'no' to a placement; a young girl. I just got off the phone with the caseworker, I'll call her Rachel. This is basicially how the call went:

R- So, tell me how the meeting went last night.

N- Well, Rachel, I don't think I'm the best placement for this gal.

R- Really? Why?

N- The program she will be a part of (and needs!) is very intense and more structure than I want in my home. I want more of a relationship building experience than a control-focused home.

R-Oh, Nancy, i totally understand! I would too. (here she shared her point of view of the newest research and some of the theories of a book called "Beyond Consequences...", which I also have read)

N- Thank you so much for understanding and supporting me, Rachel.

R- Oh, of course! I am just glad that you know yourself well enough, and that you know how the system works so you can make the best choices for your home. (all paraphrased of course)

N- Think of me again in the future.

R- I definitely will.

Yes, this is a diluted version, but it is the gist of a phone call with an educated, clinical Social Worker. She not only validated my feelings, but she spoke to me with kindness, respect and as a peer. That was so appreciated. I presumed that phone call would be hard to have, but it wasn't. This 'Rachel' worker, is a keeper. You too can have the support of DCFS if you hold to your value system and are honest with them. When I make a commitment to take a child into my home, I will be commiting to that child until they go home; they will not be kicked out because they punch a hole in a wall, or steal from me, or lie to me, or skip school, or get pregnant, or run away. I will hang in there with them...because I am the trained adult, because I believe in forever families and because I've seen people change and I have faith in people.

Knowing Your Limits: Saying 'No'

5:30p tonight I met with three therapists and the birth parents of a potential placement. We spoke about the girls needs and what I needed to do to prepare my home and myself for her to move in. I needed to install alarms on her bedroom window and door. I needed to learn her therapeutic program which consisted of strict levels; therapeutic and behavioral; which included a type of token system. I began to tell them that I was willing to learn; yet I felt a knot in my stomach which notified me of my dishonesty.

As I drove away from the meeting tonight I was pretty sure I was going to call the caseworker and say, 'this is not the best fit'. So many thoughts were racing in my head. Thoughts like, "but they picked you because of your experience", and "you live in the right city so this girl can get to the right school program" and "they're counting on you" and "they're your friends". Then I thought STOP! If I'm going to agree to do foster care, it has to be right for the child and the right thing for me. I teach potential foster families that they have the right to do what is best for their family; they don't have to accept every child that DCFS calls them about; they won't be black listed or red-flagged if they decide a certain child or children is not going to work out.

They have to put their excitement about 'parenting' second to the best interest of the child.

This young lady was going to require me to have a level system in my home; such a strict environment that she had to earn the privilege of listening to a radio and having spare change in her pocket. Does that sound harsh to you? It does to me, too. But this girl has serious issues that need serious structure and intense supervision. As this group went on to explain why these things needed to be just so, I began to understand the seriousness of this girls emotional and behavioral issues and the commitment that needed to be made.

Most people who know me would not describe me as 'serious' or 'intense'; I think they would describe me as 'free-spirited', 'sponstaneous' and 'laid back'. The way I desire to run my home is different than this young girl needs. And as much as I hate to disappoint the caseworker (my friend), I will have to call her in the morning to say that my home is not the right fit for this young lady. I can not commit to run my home like is needed for her to be successful.

I am not "therapeutic home" material. I am "foster home" material, through and through. Even as I am typing this I feel an emotional weight being lifted. The weight of 'dishonesty' changing places with the freedom of 'honesty'. I am trained to work with unhealthy adults who abuse or neglect their children. 67% of kids in Utah foster care go home to a birth parent or a family member. I WANT to work with those adults; I want to mentor them and help the kids manage their anger and pain and fears until they get to go home . But if the parents are not successful and the kids can not go home or to other family members, I will be there to offer another kind of permanency.

Wish me luck.

Who Can Be A DCFS Caseworker?

Well, when I was hired at DCFS in Provo in 1995, I had a BYU bachelor's degree in Theater Education. My good friend, Eric, who was hired the same day had a degree in Korean! DCFS gave us a year to bring our 'unrelated' degree up to a 'related' degree.

During that year Eric and I took classes from the 'U', Weber State and UVSC...we had to take I believe, 5 classes. Then we could formally be hired at DCFS; which we both were in May or June 1996. Within a few years a ruling came down(from wherever rulings come down from) which said DCFS can now only hire those with certain bachelor degree's. I'm not sure, but this may have been instigated by the David C. vs Leavitt lawsuit from the mid-1990's (more on the lawsuit in a later blog).

At this time Eric and I were able (and required) to take and pass the state social worker test so that we could be Social Service Workers (SSW's). Which we both did, successfully.

Today, as I started to say a few sentences ago, DCFS hires it's caseworkers from graduates of degrees in social work, and a few other related majors. They probably wouldn't look twice at applications from theater or korean majors!

This change in hiring practices was a GOOD THING! It didn't 'guarantee' an understanding of the social worker mentality, (which is one of compassion, helping, boundary setting, non-judgmental-ness, among other attributes)...but it sure does lay a strong foundation of basic principles of this important field of study and service. Which I didn't have....

I usually tell a story in my foster parent training classes about how proud I was when I was hired at DCFS. How I felt strong, capable, and better than the loser birth parents who abused or neglected their kids... I'm also pretty sure that I was successful at letting others know I was those things, too. I believed working for 'state government' was an elitist position; good insurance, paid holidays, great working environment...and that the families who abused or neglected their kids better know that I was the one in charge and if they didn't do what I told them to, they'd probably be unsuccessful at getting their kids back.

Not long after I was a licensed social worker in Utah, DCFS was under a scrutinizing microscope to create more family-friendly practices, again the catalyst was the lawsuit. There was a huge number of changes (around 300 specific items, but I'll double check that #) that DCFS had to make if they wanted to be the child protection agency in the state. Research was showing that families were more apt to respond to services offered to them, when they had a say in what the services were (services such as therapy, substance abuse issues, domestic violence, anger, unemployment, parenting skills, etc)...so that meant caseworkers needed to ASSESS the families strengths and needs and to link them to the services the family needed to bring the 'needs' up to 'strenths'.

Now this was a new philosophy to digest. I remember case workers really kicking and screaming about this new assessment and how we didn't have time to be all warm and fuzzy with our high caseloads, etc. But, it made total sense to me as I digested it....but it took a few trainings to really open my eyes and heart to what social work was really about. (Now, I was morphing from a drama teacher with a state gov't job, to a real social worker!).... and it was my goal to become a cheerleader of these new practice principles.

Assessments were implemented; strengths and needs were put in writing, new Service Plans were (and still are) updated to keep up with best practices; families were given more choices instead of being dictated to...and the recognition that hiring trained social workers was an important element in successful child welfare practices in Utah.

It's been so educational to be a part of the child welfare world in Utah. Many of you have no idea that Utah's Child Welfare practices are on the cutting edge of 21st century, North American ideals. Other states visit Utah's DCFS administration, and some local offices, to see how we do what we do. That's something to be proud of...but it has not been an easy road: ask any worker who has at least 15 yrs under their belt!

Utah.gov

Utah.gov

It's All About Relationships

I've often told the classes I train, (those potential foster/adoptive parents) that if I could re-name the Pre Service Training classes, I would call them "Relationship Building 101". I tell them they will learn new information and skills, be reminded of old (but still valuable) information and I will show them how it will all pertain to building relationships. I go on to list that some of those relationships will be with people in their current family compostion, but some will be with community agencies, other professionals, (schools, mental health agencies, substance abuse providers, attorneys, etc) but also the birth families, and the abused/neglected children. DCFS is counting on them to be team players.
I talk to them about three important facts about DCFS in Utah: ONE- Safety always comes first. The safety of abused/neglected children, the safety of their staff, the safety of foster/adoptive parents and even of birth families. TWO- Confidentiality is HUGE at DCFS. Not only will they be the recipients of the right of confidentiality (DCFS will not disclose last names even, if the foster parents are uncomfortable with it, and they most will be until they begin to build... what? Right, a relationship with the birth family!), but so are the children and DCFS staff. THREE- DCFS is NOT an adoption agency. Which means this: DCFS is in the business of hiring temporary families to care for abused and neglected children until they can safely (fact one) go home. Then, if the birth family can not or chooses not to get their lives together in the court appointed time frame, and there is no other viable relative, DCFS will hope that, and ask, the current foster/adoptive family if they will consider raising/nurturing this child permanently.
And I often need to remind them (and myself) that none of this is done perfectly every day; as a matter of fact it's RARELY done perfectly. Why? you may be thinking.... because we are emotional beings (aka: human) and that's just the way it is. That means, DCFS employees are human, attorney's and judges are human, foster/adoptive parents are human...and they are no different, certainly no better than the parents of children invovled with 'the system' (that could mean:DCFS, criminal justice, whatever). So, we learn to be patient, (with ourselves as well as others), we learn to be better today than we were yesterday and we encourage others to be better today than THEY were yesterday, too. Including abusive birth parents or spouses, including victims, including other service providers, including addicts...
I invite guest speakers to my classes as often as I can get them. Sometimes 7 out of 8 classes in a month, will have a guest speaker! Mostly, tho' I can arrange 4-5 guest speakers a month; but they share amazing stories of hope, forgiveness, courage, and transformations.

If you are thinking about becoming a foster(or adoptive) parent in Utah, get in touch with the Utah Foster Care Foundation (they have a great website: www.utahfostercare.org and a blog for more information)

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Change is SO possible...

The sun rises and sets everyday (so far)...it changes the world we live in everyday. I breathe in and out every single day (so far)...and I'm probably changing it, too. But the question that runs repeatedly in my head is: Am I changing the world in a positive way? I have a very real optimistic outlook during my majority of days. I WANT to be part of the solution. But to which problem? For me, today, it's the child welfare world in Utah.
I've seen birth parents who have made difficult life changes...some have been because 'it's time', some have been motivated by incarceration, some have been because the (permanent or temporary) loss of their children knocked them on their butt and that was all the motivation to change they needed. I've run in to old clients who have no ill feelings toward DCFS, and others who hate that agency and still blame them for the break-up of their family.
I have 'hired' some of these birth parents to share their stories in the foster parent training classes I teach each month. They tell their story of 'recovery' or 'getting out of a violent relationship' or whatever their inspiring story is.... And I invite them so that my potential foster parents can change their perspective which is usually one of fear and anger toward's the birth family to one of tolerance, empathy, forgiveness, hope and acceptance...usually in that order.
I have one 'couple' who speaks about how much easier it is to love the birth parent of her adopted child than it was to hate her. But change takes time and patience...on all of our parts. But I believe that as long as we can breathe, we have the ability to change, grow and develop.

I also bring up the very real point that even with the best of intentions, without any guile or expectation on our part whatsoever, a birth parent may not WANT our empathy, forgiveness or acceptance...but that's OKAY too. Because if they do, I want my potential foster parents to be ready to share it...and if they don't, at least these foster parents know that they made the good choice to offer the open hand of helpfulness.

Which brings my thoughts to: we as foster parents (I love saying that!), are not BETTER THAN the birth parents we are serving...we, too have sins, scars (emotional and physical) and poor choices (whatever you want to call them) which are in our history, too. And if our poor choices were illegal in nature, and we were arrested for them, and paraded in front of a judge and other state employees because of them; we'd feel ashamed, embarassed, angry and maybe defiant, too. Remembering that will help build the empathy and forgiveness values in our lives. What a great way to demonstrate to your children/parents/friends/spouse that you believe everyone can change for the better; that you are a 'hopeful' person (versus a despairing one).

Well, this is one of my soap box issues...let me know if I need to clarify anything. I'm happy to.

1st inquiry for a placement !

Today I had my first interview for a placement of a teen girl! I am looking forward to having a teen in the home; but I also know she is coming with 4-5 years of tough times, being separated from parents and siblings. I hope to keep my 'looking forward'-ness in check as I put her needs ahead of my own.
I've never been a full time mother and I'm 49 years old. The only parenting experience I've had is when I was married and we had his four (awesome) kids on Wednesdays and every other weekend. I also get the regular experience of taking my best friends 5yo son, Will, with me when I need a fix of youthfulness and energy!

Now, this is the normal routine for placing a child in a foster home in the Western Region of Utah. (There are 5 regions, most run the same): usually, Resource Family Consultants (RFC's) who are social workers employed by the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) go over all possible families in a meeting, twice a week, as a team. They talk about the kids who have recently come into care, or maybe those that are not having success in their current placement and need to be moved. They discuss foster families that have openings, what city they live in, what life experience they have, if there is a stay-at-home parent or not, if there are other kids in the home and what their gender/ages are. THEN, they pick the three best homes for each child(or sibling group), and make their final decision from those three. However, sometimes there is not always 'three best homes' to choose from....sometimes there's only one family who fits the needs of the child and has the family strengths that would help the child/children best.

Then they make the phone call to that "chosen family" to see if they'd be willing to take the child/children and if so, when can they make it happen. It could be a nice, smooth transition that takes 1-2 weeks, or it could be a 'see you in 30 minutes!' type of placement. DCFS OFFICE HOURS are Mon - Thur 7a - 6p (as of August 2008; part of the governor's initiative to save the state money)

But, the type of placement (slow or immediate) also depends on which day it is (a workday, a weekend day or a holiday?) and what time of day (afterhours is from 6pm - 7am and Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays)....but DCFS in Utah has an 'after hours' phone for emergency placements, or to assist a foster parent who feels they are in an emergency situation with a child in custody. I beleive all 5 regions have that after hours access; if you know differently, let me know.

Introductions....

My name is Nancy. I live in Provo, Utah. I have been employed as a foster care caseworker, a foster care supervisor and even for a short time, the state foster care specialist (though that position has a different name now). Today I train foster parents through a non-profit agency. I'm a licensed social worker in Utah. I also have a Master's Degree in School Counseling and as of August 1, 2009 I am a licensed foster parent!

I am developing a philosophy about child welfare which I would like to share with you. I have a few soap box topics that I'm sure I will address shortly. I also want to make myself available to support you in your fostering experience, answer questions about Child Welfare practices in Utah (and I promise, if I don't know the answer, I won't make it up, I'll find it or I'll link you to where you can find it).

I also want to inspire and motivate you! If you are not yet a foster or adoptive parent in Utah; I want to recruit you, if you meet the minimal criteria. I'll get into that a little later, too.