May 13, 2022 Vol 2, Issue 10
Message from CD Leadership
With appreciation activities in full swing around the state, I want to extend my appreciation to all of our resource providers. Thank you for caring even when it is hard and not always rewarding. Thank you for being a significant and lifelong influence in a child’s life. Thank you for all of the sacrifices you make on a daily basis, they do not go unnoticed. The support, advocacy and care you provide to our foster children and families is certainly challenging, but what a difference you are making in the lives of children. I am so thankful for your willingness to stand in this space, to open your homes and to extend your heart. I hope each of you are able to find some time this month to pause, to re-charge and be re-energized and to know just how much you are valued.
From one relative-adoptive parent to another, thank you!
Teri Armistead, JD
Deputy Director, Missouri Children’s Division
|
Inspire Others to Become Foster Parents!
You may ask yourself, "How can I help?". While you are already helping tremendously by caring for foster children, there are several more ways you can help including:
Our Children's Division teams are committed to inspiring others across the state to become foster parents. To help in this mission, we have developed tools and materials that you can use when inspiring people with your own story.
 This is our Foster Care Referral Card. You can find a sheet of six, front and back, to print off on our Foster Care Ambassador's page.
Survey Results: The Need for Mentors
Thank you to all of you who took the Foster Parent Survey that was recently sent out. We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with feedback. The survey revealed that many of you feel like you need a mentor, or that a mentoring program would be good for new foster parents. We recently established the Foster Care Ambassadors who are seasoned foster parents willing to mentor other foster families.
If you are interested in being paired with an ambassador, please email your request to FosterCare@dss.mo.gov. This is for all foster parents whether you are brand new or have been fostering for a long time. It is for all of our families whether traditional, relative, emergency, respite, or elevated needs.
What is Access Crisis Intervention?
Access Crisis Intervention (ACI) provides access to services for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. ACI offers an opportunity for individuals to receive necessary behavioral health crisis services to help reduce unnecessary interventions, such as hospitalization or detentions. By calling the ACI hotline, individuals have access to behavioral health crisis services that are free and available to both youth and adults.
- All calls are strictly confidential.
- ACI hotlines are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by behavioral health professionals.
- Assistance may include phone contact, referrals to resources in the community, next day behavioral health appointments, or a mobile response. Mobile is defined as either going to the location of the crisis, or to another secure community location.
Visit the ACI Hotline Numbers by County Map to find your local number and learn more.
Virtual Trainings
-
Stepping Stones Grief Event for Kids and Teens: August 12 – 14, In-person day camp at Camp Wyman. Available at no cost to participants. It is open to any child or teenager who has experienced the death of a loved one. To register call 314-953-1676 or email GriefSupport@bjc.org.
-
Level-B Virtual Training: June 14 - 16, 2022 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. More sessions will be held in September and December. To register, email Dana.L.Kloess@dss.mo.gov.
-
Bullying Prevention will be held May 16th 6:00 to 7:00 PM virtually - This training contains an overview of the dynamics of bullying, including what bullying is, what the types of bullying are, who is bullied, and why children are bullied. Other topics include steps to intervene in bullying behavior, how to encourage students who witness bullying to take action, the role of the school, and laws and policies.
-
Positive Behavior Interventions May 18th 12:00 to 1:00 PM or May 23rd from 6:00 to 7:00 PM - Parents and teachers will be taught a different way to think about problem behavior. Often behaviors are a form of communication. With this training you will learn the importance of a Functional Behavioral Assessment, how to reinforce positive behavior as well as how to develop a Positive Behavior Support Plan.
-
Disagreement Resolution Webinar May 25th 1:00 to 2:00 PM - Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to prevent it in the first place. Through this training, you will learn strategies to prevent problems from arising in the first place through documentation and letter writing. Also covered are the resolution processes included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Foster Care Month Trainings
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and The National Foster Parent Association are offering no-cost, 1 hour training sessions through the month of May. Trainings are open to all foster, adoptive, kinship parents, and case managers are also welcome to attend. Each session will cover the same information and will cover topics like the jigsaw puzzle child, grief and more. Certificates to document trainings are available. You can find the training times and zoom meeting link on the flyer.
Raise the Future Classes
Raise the Future offers a range of great classes for foster, resource, kinship, and adoptive families. The site is geared toward adoption, but there are several resources on trauma and issues many kids face. You can check out the different classes on the Raise the Future website.
|
Help with Childcare
Resource Parents have been experiencing extreme difficulty with finding daycare/childcare for their Foster children. Did you know that if a relative or friend is helping you with watching your foster children that they can become a Registered Provider and be compensated? The process to become a registered provider is easier than the daycare licensing process. There are restrictions on the amount of children that you can have in your home if you are only a registered provider versus a licensed daycare. Learn more about how to become a registered provider.
There have been no Memos or Practice Alerts since the last issue of the newsletter.
|
