 November 17, 2022 Vol 2, Issue 17
 New and Improved MO Adoption Heart Gallery Highlights
Beginning in 2023, Children’s Division will be expanding our “adoption recruitment tool box” with a new and improved MO Adoption Heart Gallery Highlights. In our efforts to reach potential adoptive families for our children, these 60 minute virtual matching events will highlight 3-4 children or siblings groups every other month. Potential adoptive parent(s) will have the opportunity to hear about the children’s strengths, personality, dreams for the future, and what they are looking for in a forever family from the child’s caseworker and to ask questions. The informational 60 minutes will highlight children, information, and awareness. More details coming soon.
5th Annual Shine-A-Light for Adoption Events
The 5th Annual Shine-A-Light for Adoption event took place this year on November 13th all across Missouri. Participants could show their support and raise awareness for adoption by attending community events and symbolically turning on their porchlights.
These photos are from an event hosted by Linn Community Christian Church, just one of many churches and individuals that celebrated National Adoption Month on Orphan Sunday, November 13th. The energized night was filled with beautiful music, powerful prayer, a candid panel of adoptees and adoptive parents, and an informational speaker from Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption. Participants were asked to light candles which represented all the children seeking a forever adoptive home.
If you attended an event and would like to share photos from the evening, please email them to ashton.kever@dss.mo.gov.
Monthly Medical Logs for Children in Custody
When a child is in Children’s Division custody, it is in the best interest of the child for parents, resource providers, and case managers to know the child’s medical history and share current information with those individuals who are providing care. It is the commitment of the Children’s Division to ensure that pertinent medical records and/or medical information for a child to be available to appropriate members of the child’s treatment and /or family support team. The child’s team may include resource providers, GAL, medical care providers, parents, and other individual who provide support or services to the child or family.
To assist case managers in maintaining an accurate health record for each child, there is a required form to be completed monthly by a child’s placement provider, CD-265 Monthly Medical Log. This form provides relevant medical information for the child that occurred during that month such as medical appointments, current medication list, and other medical events such as illness or injury. The weight of the child is also important to include and should be completed monthly, especially if the child is prescribed a weight-based medication. You can obtain the weight from medical appointments or by weighing the child in the home.
Completed forms will assist case managers with knowing where to request medical records, and creates a medical history for the child. It is important that the form is filled out completely for every child placed in your home and provided to the child’s case manager. These forms will follow the youth in the event a placement change occurs to ensure past medical information is available to the new provider to aid in continuity of care, stability for the child, and to share medically relevant information.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your licensing worker.
Trainings & Events
Spaulding Adoption Class
- December 9 & 10 (Friday and Saturday) 9am-4:00pm through Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association. Call 573-298-0258 to register.
CPR/FA Classes offered by CMFCAA
All classes are from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Please call 573-298-0258 to register.
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December 10th
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Cole County
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United Way Office
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December 17th
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Phelps County
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Location TBD
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 For the new Foster Care Health insurance, Show Me Healthy Kids, there are a few important items to share:
- The main Show Me Healthy Kids website has helpful FAQs (ie: why the change, what changes, etc).
- Check out the Find a Provider Tool
- The website also features a member login page (if it’s someone’s first time with Home State Health, they’ll need to create a new account)
- Some other important things of note:
- There is a 180-day continuity of care period for all services (even those out of network) which began on July 1, and is ending on January 1, 2023
- On 10/1, residential services were carved-in to the Show Me Healthy Kids Plan. With continuity of care continuing until at minimum until January 1, 2023
- On 10/1, behavioral health services were also carved-in to the Show Me Healthy Kids Plan
- If a provider is not in-network, Show Me Healthy Kids will need to be informed to ensure their provider network representatives initiate contact with that provider
A Reminder about Auto-generated checks from Children's Division
Just a reminder that checks are issued on different days in the month. The auto generated checks from CD (such as maintenance payments) usually come out the 14th-16th each month but they can come out a few days before or after that range. Checks may be issued on other dates for things like clothing reimbursement, mileage, or if a child changes placement mid-month as sometimes a check is generated early.
If you ever have a question about your check, contact your case manager or licensing worker. Usually we can explain what happened but sometimes there is an error that needs to be addressed.
Foster Family Mentors
Are you in need of help or assistance as a Foster Parent? We have Foster Care Ambassadors who are seasoned Foster parents willing to be a mentor to another Foster family. If you are interested, please email FosterCare@dss.mo.gov and we will pair you up with a Foster Care Ambassador. 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 ACI?
Access Crisis Intervention (ACI) provides access to services for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. ACI will provide an opportunity for individuals to receive necessary behavioral health crisis services in an effort to 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 who are available to provide assistance.
- 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.
To learn more about ACI and to find your local number please visit this link and click on ACI Hotline Numbers by County Map: Access Crisis Intervention | dmh.mo.gov.
We want to hear from you! If there is information you would like covered in the next Foster Parent Connections Newsletters email, Melissa.J.Selsor@dss.mo.gov.
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